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Why NATO scrambled its fighter jets after Russia's ‘largest’ drone attack
NATO on Wednesday scrambled fighter jets, primarily from Poland, in response to Russia’s largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine to date
NATO on Wednesday scrambled fighter jets, primarily from Poland, in response to Russia’s largest drone and missile attack on Ukraine to date, involving 728 drones (including over 300 Iranian-designed Shahed drones) and 13 missiles, such as Kinzhals and Iskanders. The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its forces took aim at Ukrainian air bases and that “all the designated targets have been hit.”
Ukraine, too, fired drones into Russia overnight, killing three people in the Kursk border region, including a 5-year-old boy, the local governor said.
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Meanwhile, Poland, a member of NATO, scrambled its fighter jets, the Polish Armed Forces Operational Command wrote in a post on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. It also put its armed forces on the highest level of alert in response to the attack,
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the latest attack as a ‘new massive Russian attack on our cities’. The attack prompted NATO’s rapid response due to the proximity of the strikes to alliance borders and the potential threat to NATO airspace.
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"This is a telling attack—and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all," Zelenskyy said.
The Russian attack heavily targeted western Ukraine, including regions like Lviv and Volyn, which border NATO member Poland. Strikes on cities like Lutsk and Rivne, close to Poland, raised concerns about potential incursions into NATO airspace.
Poland’s Operational Command said that Polish and allied aircraft, including F-16s, were scrambled, with ground-based air defenses and radar systems set to the 'highest state of readiness' to ensure the safety of Polish airspace.
This was a precautionary measure, as no Russian drones or missiles entered Polish airspace during this incident.
