Russian Missile and Drone Barrage Kills 10 in Ukraine, NATO Scrambles Jets After Missile Enters Polish Airspace

KYIV: A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack across Ukraine killed at least 10 civilians, including children, and injured more than 50 others, while NATO scrambled fighter jets after one of the missiles crossed into Polish airspace before crashing, Ukrainian and Polish officials said.

The overnight assault involved ballistic and cruise missiles as well as hundreds of drones targeting multiple regions, including Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and other cities. Ukrainian authorities said residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were among the sites hit, causing extensive damage and casualties.

Polish officials confirmed that a Russian missile briefly entered the country’s airspace and crashed in an unpopulated area near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in eastern Poland, creating a large crater but causing no casualties. In response, Poland and NATO activated air defense measures and deployed fighter aircraft to monitor the situation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attacks and renewed calls for additional Western air defense systems, saying Ukraine urgently needs more advanced capabilities to protect civilians from increasingly frequent missile and drone strikes. He also said preliminary evidence suggests Russia used a North Korean-supplied ballistic missile in one of the attacks, though investigations are continuing.

The latest bombardment underscores the continuing intensity of Russia’s aerial campaign against Ukraine and raises fresh security concerns for neighboring NATO members following the missile’s entry into Polish territory. NATO reiterated its commitment to defending every inch of allied territory while closely monitoring developments along its eastern flank.