Russia launched nearly 400 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine overnight Monday, triggering NATO allies Poland and Romania to scramble fighter jets as the attacks approached NATO airspace. The assault, which Ukrainian officials say killed four people and injured more than two dozen, marks a significant escalation in Russia's ongoing offensive.
Poland's operational command announced that Polish and allied air forces were deployed to monitor the situation, placing air defenses on 'the highest state of readiness.' In Romania, F-16 fighter jets were scrambled as Russian drones attacked Ukraine near the River Danube, which forms part of the border between Ukraine and Romania.
Intensified Attacks Signal New Russian Offensive
Ukrainian military leaders reported that Russian forces have intensified attacks along the roughly 750-mile front line in recent days, with hundreds of assaults recorded. According to the Institute for the Study of War, the escalation suggests Moscow's long-anticipated spring-summer offensive is now underway.
Ukrainian officials claimed that most of the drones and missiles launched overnight were intercepted or disrupted, though some managed to hit their targets. Russia's strikes hit multiple regions, including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv, further straining Ukraine's air defense systems.
'Due to the activity of long-range Russian air forces conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory, Polish and allied air forces have begun operating in our airspace,' Poland’s operational command stated.
The assault occurred just days after Ukraine targeted Russia's largest Baltic port, Primorsk, in a precision attack that left the key export hub in flames. Russian officials have since threatened 'dire' repercussions for Ukraine's use of British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, which recently damaged a microelectronics plant in Russia’s Bryansk region.
The latest strikes underscore the ongoing brutality of Russia's invasion, now in its fifth year, and the persistent failure of U.S.-brokered peace talks to achieve a ceasefire.