Poland scrambles jets, shuts airspace due to ‘unplanned military activity’ after Russia’s massive strikes on Ukraine

Poland scrambled fighter jets and closed its airspace over the southeastern cities of Lublin and Rzeszów until at least 0400 GMT on Sunday (Sept 28), citing “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security.”

Flight tracking service Flightradar24 also confirmed the airspace developments.

The move came after Russia launched a massive overnight assault on Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow fired around 500 drones and 40 missiles on Saturday night, killing at least four people, with Kyiv suffering the heaviest strikes. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko described the barrage as a “massive attack,” noting that debris from a drone partially destroyed a five-storey building.

The Polish military said it scrambled jets in response to the strikes. “In connection with the activity of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have begun operating in our airspace,” it said on X, calling the measures preventive to secure airspace and protect citizens.

Poland’s armed forces also confirmed NATO aircraft joined the response over fears of a possible incursion. Denmark, meanwhile, said drones had recently flown over its airports.

This is not the first time Russian activity has raised alarm across NATO’s eastern flank. On September 9, Poland confirmed it shot down Russian drones that crossed its airspace during strikes on Ukraine — the first such incursion into a NATO country since the war began in 2022. Romania reported a similar breach on September 14, while Estonia requested urgent NATO consultations after three Russian warplanes entered its airspace “without permission” and remained for 12 minutes.

Zelensky has accused Moscow of “deliberately targeting” NATO countries. On September 20, Britain said its fighter jets carried out a NATO air defence mission over Poland in response to drone incursions. Moscow has downplayed the incidents, insisting it has “no plans to target” facilities in Poland.

The string of violations has highlighted the split between European leaders’ urgent calls for stronger action against Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump’s more muted response. Poland and Romania have both invoked NATO’s Article 4 — a mechanism for urgent consultations among allies that had been triggered only seven times in the alliance’s 76-year history before this month.