Poland launches fighter jets amid Russian airstrike on Ukraine
July 12 (UPI) -- Poland on Saturday scrambled fighter jets in response to Russian military aircraft near its border with Ukraine.
"Attention. Due to the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, conducting strikes on targets located, among others, in western Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation have begun operations in Polish airspace," the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said on X.
"Duty fighter pairs have been scrambled, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness."
❗️ Uwaga. W związku z aktywnością lotnictwa dalekiego zasięgu Federacji Rosyjskiej, wykonującego uderzenia na obiekty znajdujące się między innymi na zachodzie Ukrainy, rozpoczęło się operowanie polskiego i sojuszniczego lotnictwa w polskiej przestrzeni powietrznej.
Zgodnie z... pic.twitter.com/re1neYvJyl— Dowództwo Operacyjne RSZ (@DowOperSZ) July 12, 2025
Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least two people and injured more than 20 others overnight, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on X.
The attacks targeted Ukraine's Kharkiv, Sumy, Lviv and Bukovyna regions and involved 26 cruise missiles and 597 attack drones, Zelensky said in the post.
Ukrainian officials separately reported at least 13 civilian deaths and 46 injuries over the previous 24 hours due to Russian missile strikes.
Poland later canceled its military alert.
"The operation of Polish and allied aviation in our airspace has been concluded due to the cessation of long-range aviation strikes by the Russian Federation on Ukraine," the country's armed forces said in a different statement.
"Activated ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have returned to standard operational activities. We thank you for the allied support NATO."
Zelensky on Friday met with U.S. lawmakers in Rome at the Ukraine Recovery Conference. The Ukrainian president said during the conference he was prioritizing strengthening the country's air defenses.
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