Brief

Poland scrambles fighter jets after Russian strikes hit western Ukraine

Poland’s armed forces said no airspace breach was recorded while Russian attacks damaged infrastructure in western Ukraine.

By Felo News Desk · Published Fri, 16 Oct 2026 22:30:23 GMT

Poland’s armed forces scrambled fighter jets on Friday in response to overnight Russian attacks that struck western Ukraine close to the Polish border, the ministry said. No violation of Polish airspace was recorded, according to the statement.

Russian strikes hit Ukraine’s Volyn region, cutting electricity to about 370,000 residents and injuring two people, Governor Roman Romaniuk reported. In the eastern city of Kharkiv, a drone attack killed three civilians and wounded five, while an apartment block in central Ukraine’s Uman saw a similar number of injuries.

Private power company DTEK said it had to implement emergency power cuts across Kyiv because of the ongoing strikes. Russian officials claimed their air defences had intercepted a Ukrainian drone targeting a heating plant in the Vladimir region.

The attacks come amid heightened concerns along NATO’s eastern flank, with Poland and other allies warning of escalation risks. Earlier on Friday, Bulgaria’s defence minister said Sofia had asked NATO for assistance to strengthen its defences.

Al Jazeera noted that the latest alert follows a pattern of increased Russian testing of regional defences and that the United States President Donald Trump has blamed Ukraine for raising global tensions by targeting Russian oil refineries.

Key facts

Poland scrambled fighter jets after Russian attacks hit western Ukraine near its border. (aljazeera.com)
No violation of Polish airspace was recorded during the alert. (aljazeera.com)
Volyn region lost power to 370,000 people and two civilians were injured. (aljazeera.com)
Drone attacks in Kharkiv killed three and injured five; similar injuries reported in Uman. (aljazeera.com)
DTEK implemented emergency power cuts in Kyiv due to the strikes. (aljazeera.com)