Russia violated Poland’s airspace with a cruise missile launched at targets in western Ukraine, Poland’s armed forces said.
“On March 24 at 4:23am (03.23 GMT), there was a violation of Polish airspace by one of the cruise missiles launched overnight by long-range aviation of the Russian Federation,” the armed forces said on X.
“The object entered Polish space near the town of Oserdow [Lublin Voivodeship] and stayed there for 39 seconds. During the entire flight, it was observed by military radar systems.”
The armed forces said earlier that Poland and allied aircraft were activated during the attack to ensure the safety of Poland’s airspace.
Ukrainian city Lviv ‘s Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said on Telegram there were no attacks on it directly but some 20 missiles and seven attack drones had been launched against the broader Lviv region, targeting “critical infrastructure”.
Ukraine’s air force destroyed 18 out of 29 Russia-launched missiles and 25 out of 28 attack drones, Ukraine’s air force said on Telegram.
Several explosions rocked Kyiv early on March 24, with Ukraine air defence forces destroying about a dozen of Russia-launched missiles over the capital and its vicinity, posted Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv’s military administration.
He added that there was only minor damage from the attacks.
Russia has been pounding Ukraine for days in assaults portrayed by Moscow as revenge for Ukrainian strikes during the Kremlin’s recent presidential election.
“For the third pre-dawn morning this week, all of Ukraine is under an air alert and has been advised to seek shelter,” US Ambassador Bridget Brink posted on X early on March 24.
“Russia continues to indiscriminately launch drones and missiles with no regard for millions of civilians, violating international law.”
Russia’s defence ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
A little later, the Polish foreign ministry indicated it intended to summon the Russian Ambassador over the airspace violation, deputy foreign minister Andrzej Szejna told private broadcaster Polsat News.
Poland calls on Russia “to stop terrorist air attacks on the inhabitants and territory of Ukraine, end the war and address the country’s internal problems”, the ministry’s spokesman said.
