Nato jets scrambled as Russia launches 'biggest drone bombardment' of Ukraine
Poland scrambled fighter jets early on Monday in response to a wave of Russian airstrikes on western Ukraine.
The Operational Command of the Polish armed forces confirmed allied aircraft had been activated to ensure the safety of the country's airspace.
"The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the areas at risk," the Command said on X.
All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts as of 3am BST on Monday after the Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Ukraine's air force said 479 Russian drones were launched in the war's biggest overnight drone bombardment.
Apart from drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas of Ukraine.
Ukraine's air defences destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles in mid-flight, an air force statement said, claiming that only 10 drones or missiles hit their target.
Officials said one person was injured.
It comes as Moscow launched what officials have described as one of the largest assaults on Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, over the weekend — killing four people, injuring nearly 60, and marking a significant escalation in the conflict
Kharkiv's Mayor, Ihor Terekhov, said 48 drones — two missiles and four glide bombs — had been used against the city on Friday night, while more glide bombs were reportedly dropped on Saturday.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has urged allies to increase pressure on Moscow and to take "more steps to strengthen Ukraine" in response to Russia's latest attacks.
Poland—a Nato member and one of Ukraine's staunchest allies—plays a key role in coordinating and channeling Western military aid to Kyiv.
Its heightened alert status underscores the escalating regional security risks as the war enters its third year.
On Monday, a Ukrainian drone strike, among the deepest into Russia in more than three years of the war, forced a temporary suspension of production at an electronics company in the Volga river region of Chuvashia, the head of the region said.
The strike, some 1,300 km (800 miles) from the border with Ukraine, caused no casualties, Chuvashia Governor Oleg Nikolayev said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.
But "the responsible decision was made to temporarily suspend production to ensure the safety of employees" of the VNIIR enterprise where the drones fell, Nikolayev said.
It was not immediately clear whether the drones caused any damage. Nikolayev said that another drone fell onto some fields in the area of the capital of the region, Cheboksary.
Ukraine's military said in a Telegram statement on Monday that "at least two drones" hit the VNIIR facility that specialises in manufacturing navigation equipment used in attack drones, guided aerial bombs and high-precision weapons.
The Ukrainian military said the drone attack sparked a large-scale fire at the VNIIR plant, although reports could not independently verified.
The Russian defence ministry - which reports only how many drones were destroyed not how many Ukraine launched - said on Telegram that its units downed two drones over Chuvashia. In total, it said, air defence systems destroyed 49 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russia.
Kyiv has often said that its attacks inside Russia are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Moscow's war efforts and are in response to the continued Russian strikes on Ukraine.
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