'Highest alert level': Poland scrambles planes after 'intense' Russian attack in western Ukraine

The Polish military announced on Monday, June 9, that it had scrambled fighter jets due to an "intense" Russian attack in western Ukraine. "Due to the intense air attack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian territory, Polish and allied aircraft began operating in Polish airspace this morning," the Polish General Staff announced on X.

"The service fighters were deployed in pairs, and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest level of alert," he added, specifying that these were actions of a "preventive nature."

This type of deployment is common when Russian missiles or drones target regions in western Ukraine bordering Poland, a NATO member country.

"Dozens" of Russian drones and missiles crashed into the Rivne region in western Ukraine overnight from Sunday to Monday, the city's mayor, Oleksandr Tretyak, said on Telegram.

According to regional governor Oleksandr Koval, Rivne experienced "a very difficult night" due to a "massive enemy airstrike" that injured at least one civilian.

The city of Kyiv was also targeted by an attack that damaged a building, said the head of the city administration, Tymur Tkachenko.

A few hours later, the Polish General Staff stated in a new post that the operations had been "suspended and the deployed forces and assets have returned to their standard operational activities." "We would like to inform you that no violations of Polish airspace have been observed," the army added.