NATO was forced to scramble its warplanes in Poland today as Vladimir Putin used strategic bombers to attack neighbouring Ukraine – even as Vladimir Putin insists he wants peace ‘as soon as possible’.
Putin’s air force deployed Tu-95MS nuclear-capable strategic bombers to pound targets across Ukraine, causing panic in Kyiv as residents rushed for the metro underground shelters.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Sumy, as well as in Kyiv and Cherkasy regions. Drones were also used by Russia, with several people reportedly suffering injuries.
Warsaw’s armed forces operation command headquarters ordered NATO jets to patrol Polish airspace as Russian bombers and missiles soared over Western Ukraine just a few dozen miles from the eastern border of the security bloc.
‘Attention, due to the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, striking targets located, in particular, in the west of Ukraine, military aviation has begun to operate in the airspace of Poland,’ the command headquarters said.
Ground-based air defences and radar reconnaissance systems were also ‘put on alert’.
It comes just one day after a US B-52 bomber flew a sortie less than 50 miles from the Russian border in a show of strength on the third anniversary of its invasion of Ukraine.
The B-52 jet, which is described as providing the US with ‘immediate nuclear and conventional global strike capability’, flew from RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire to the frontline NATO state and was flanked by F35s and F-A18 fighters.
The planes jetted in formation over soldiers and tanks as a military parade of over 1,000 troops from NATO and the Estpnia’s Defense Forces took place in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
February 24 marked three years since Russian troops invaded Ukraine, and is also Estonian independence day. The Baltic state has been a member of NATO for 21 years.
The three-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion yesterday arrived at a sensitive moment for Kyiv as Volodymyr Zelensky navigates a rapidly changing international environment upended by Donald Trump’s major shift of US policy and warming relations with Moscow.
Recent weeks have seen a flurry of diplomacy with US and Russian delegates pressing on with ceasefire negotiations designed to bring about a swift end to the conflict.
But these negotiations have been held in absence of Ukrainian representatives.
Washington has therefore been accused of freezing Ukraine out of negotiations with Russia, with Trump last week justifying doing so by wrongly calling Zelensky ‘a dictator without elections’ – despite votes only being halted in the war-torn country due to martial law.
The Ukrainian President on Sunday said he was willing to step down if it meant securing peace for his country, suggesting that he could do so in exchange for Ukraine’s entry into NATO or other security guarantees.
But Vladimir Putin will only end the Ukraine war when there is a deal that ‘suits’ Russia, its foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday.
Meanwhile, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov accused Europe and the UK of prolonging the fighting in response to a fresh package of sanctions levelled by Brussels – hours before Russian bombers began pounding Ukraine early this morning.
A dozen leaders from Europe and Canada descended on Ukraine’s capital to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion yesterday, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
But Donald Trump opted to remain in Washington as he hosted French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House.
This morning’s scrambling of NATO jets over Poland came amid fears Russia was unleashing missiles close to the Polish border as Moscow’s forces continued their aerial assault of Ukraine.
At least two Tu-95MS bombers were reported taking off from Russia’s Olenya air base in the Arctic.
All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts starting at around 0350 GMT after the country’s air force warned of the oncoming Russian attack.
The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear, and there was no comment from Russia.
This morning’s attacks come just weeks after another similar round of strikes that saw NATO’s F-16 and F-35 warplanes scrambled when Russia fired of low-flying Kalibr missiles at Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
‘Due to the attack of the Russian Federation, which is striking objects located on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation has started operating in our airspace,’ reported Warsaw’s Armed Forces Operational Command on February 11.
The operational commander ‘deployed all available forces and means’.
‘Duty pairs of fighters have been put into the air, and ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance assets have been put on the highest alert.
‘The measures taken are aimed at ensuring security in the territories bordering the threatened areas.
‘The Armed Forces Operational Command is monitoring the current situation, and its subordinate forces and means remain fully prepared for an immediate response.’
Polish Military Radar monitoring channel reported ‘high activity of NATO aircraft near the Polish-Ukrainian border due to a missile attack.
‘In the zone of operations there are certainly also our F-16 aircraft and very possibly F-16 USAF or F-35 Norwegian forces stationed in Krzesiny.’
One target was reported to be Mirhorod air base in Poltava region, home of Ukraine’s 831st tactical aviation brigade.
The Russian army attacked Naftogaz’s production facilities in the Poltava region, the company reported.
Ukraine’s energy minister Herman Halushchenko imposed emergency blackouts.
‘At night, the enemy attacked the gas infrastructure,’ he said.
‘In order to minimise the possible consequences for the energy system, the operator of the transmission system urgently applies measures of emergency electricity restrictions.
‘As soon as the security situation will be allowed, the consequences will be specified…..while the danger lasts, stay in shelters.’
In overnight strikes on Russia, drone attacks by Ukraine exploded a major oil refinery in Saratov, part of the Kremlin-linked Rosneft empire.
At least 11 explosions were heard at Engels in Saratov region, home of Russia’s strategic bombers.
Russian air defences were active.
The scale of any damage was not immediately clear.