Russia Launches Drone and Missile Barrage on Ukraine; Poland Scrambles Jets

NATO member Poland said it deployed fighter jets early Sunday to safeguard its airspace after Russia launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Ukraine. Ukrainian officials reported heavy missile and drone attacks in the Lviv region, near the Polish border.

“The Polish and allied aircraft are flying within our airspace, while ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems remain at the highest level of readiness,” Poland’s Operational Command said in a post on X.

Eastern NATO members have been on high alert since September, when Poland shot down suspected Russian drones over its territory. Drone sightings and airspace incursions — including near Copenhagen and Munich — have recently caused disruption across European aviation.

In Lithuania, Vilnius Airport was temporarily shut down for several hours overnight Saturday following reports of a series of unidentified balloons approaching the area.

According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, commercial flights early Sunday morning were operating on the same alternative routes typically used when airspace near Poland’s Lublin and Rzeszów airports is restricted due to nearby conflict activity. Reuters was unable to independently verify the Flightradar24 report. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s website carried no immediate advisory regarding potential disruptions at either airport.

Air Raid Alerts Across Ukraine

Ukraine was under nationwide air raid alerts for several hours overnight as Russian forces launched widespread attacks. The Ukrainian Air Force issued its most severe warning for the Lviv region, citing simultaneous missile and drone strikes.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said local air defenses were actively engaging enemy targets, intercepting both drones and incoming missiles. Lviv lies about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Polish border.

As of 7:30 a.m. (04:30 GMT), parts of the city were still without power, and public transport services had yet to resume. Sadovyi warned residents via the Telegram messaging app that “it remains dangerous to go outside.”

Reuters reporters in Lviv said they heard multiple explosions resembling air defense operations across the city.

In the southeast, Zaporizhzhia regional governor Ivan Fedorov said one person was killed and nine injured when Russian strikes hit the city of Zaporizhzhia late Saturday. “Apartments and private houses were damaged, cars burned, windows were shattered, and courtyards destroyed,” he wrote on Telegram, adding that more than 73,000 residents in the region were left without electricity.

The Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located about 55 kilometers (35 miles) southwest of the city, has been disconnected from external power since September 23.

The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Friday urged both Ukraine and Russia to demonstrate the “political will” needed to ensure the safety of Europe’s largest nuclear facility, which Russian forces seized in the early weeks of the invasion.

Moscow has not yet commented on the latest wave of overnight strikes. Both sides have continued targeting each other’s infrastructure — including energy and transport networks — as part of efforts to weaken military logistics and national resilience.