Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that at least eight Russian attack drones were directed toward Poland during overnight strikes, in what Warsaw described as “an act of aggression” after its forces shot down several drones that entered NATO airspace.
“Today there was another step of escalation, Russian-Iranian ‘Shaheds’ operated in the airspace of Poland, in NATO airspace,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “It was not just one ‘Shahed’ that could be called an accident, but at least eight strike drones aimed toward Poland.”
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched about 415 drones and 43 missiles in a massive assault across 15 regions, killing one person in Zhytomyr and injuring three in Khmelnytskyi.
It reported shooting down 386 drones and 27 missiles, while 16 missiles and 21 drones hit 17 locations. Industrial sites in Vinnytsia were struck, and a major fire spread across 1,000 square meters in Volyn before being contained by emergency crews.
The incident marks the first known instance of a NATO member using its defences to directly shoot down weapons linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine. It has raised fears of a broader escalation.
In response, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha renewed Kyiv’s call for neighbouring countries to help intercept missiles and drones over Ukrainian territory.
“Ukraine has suggested such step for a long time. It needs to be taken for the sake of collective security,” he wrote on X.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
