NATO jets scrambled in Poland, Romania as Russia strikes Ukraine

Overnight, Russian forces launched a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine, according to the air forces of Poland and Romania. Ukraine's air force reported that Russia utilized 161 drones, comprising 82 jet-powered models, and an unspecified number of Banderol cruise missiles in the attacks. Air defenses successfully intercepted or neutralized 119 of the drones and three cruise missiles across 18 locations.

Polish forces scrambled fighter jets in response to the strikes, targeting targets in western Ukraine. The alert lasted approximately an hour, with no recorded violations of Polish airspace. Romanian forces also scrambled two F-16 fighter jets on Tuesday night to counter a maneuvering aerial target near the Ukrainian border. The alert was concluded after an hour, with no incursions reported into Romanian airspace.

NATO has repeatedly scrambled assets in response to Russian air attacks in Ukraine, a trend that has persisted for several years. Russian drones have breached NATO airspace multiple times, and fighter jets have successfully downed some of these incursions. NATO has linked the surge in Russian drone activity to Moscow's "hybrid warfare" strategy against NATO-backed Ukraine. In contrast, Russia maintains a denial of responsibility for any violations of allied airspace.