Poland scrambles jets to secure airspace from Russian attacks on Ukraine

Joshua Askew

26 May 2024 at 4:52 am·1-min read

Poland scrambles jets to secure airspace from Russian attacks on Ukraine

Poland’s air force has scrambled jets to protect the country's airspace from Russian missiles targeting western Ukraine.

Airforce patrols were conducted on Saturday in southeast Poland, which borders war-torn Ukraine.

Poland was left unscathed, but a Russian strike on a large DIY store in the northern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed 12 people and wounded 43.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the airstrike a "manifestation of Russian madness".

Poland's Operational Command announced the defensive operation had ended on Sunday, but said its forces remained vigilant.

"Due to the end of long-range missile strikes of the Russian Federation on targets in the western part of Ukraine, the operation of military aviation in Polish airspace has been ended and the deployed forces and resources have returned to standard operational activities," it wrote on X.

"The #PolishArmy monitors the situation on the territory of Ukraine on an ongoing basis and remains constantly ready to ensure the safety of Polish airspace."

In a statement on Saturday, Poland's military said locals could notice increased noise from Polish and allied aircraft.

The statement said the army had taken all necessary measures to secure Poland's airspace.

Separately on Saturday, Poland's foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski warned Russia wanted to destabilise Europe.

He claimed Moscow was trying to influence the outcome of upcoming European parliamentary elections in June.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has sent security concerns skyrocketing in the region, with eastern European countries fearing a revisionist Kremlin.

Warsaw put its forces on alert in March when a Russian missile entered Polish airspace before striking Ukraine’s western Lviv region.

Poland has also ramped up its military presence on its western border with Belarus, a staunch ally of Moscow.

INSIDER
Russian troops surrender to an elite brigade as the Kharkiv front holds, Ukraine says
In a video released by Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade, Russian troops appear to be surrendering in Vovchansk.
The Daily Beast
One-Two Punch From the Skies Is a Massive Blow to Putin
Ukraine’s military has spent the last two years chronically short of planes. Its prewar stocks were already small in number and mostly dated from the Soviet era. When NATO and other countries sent help, they focused on either sending the same older models or keeping existing aircraft in the air through maintenance and spare parts. Russia, meanwhile, has a larger and often more advanced air force.However, new planes are on the way to help Ukraine. For nearly a year, countries like the Netherlands
The Guardian
Israel has fallen into Hamas trap in Gaza war, says Giorgia Meloni at G7
The Italian prime minister also stated the EU will not directly contribute to a $50bn loan to Ukraine agreed at the summit
INSIDER
China's Xi accused the US of trying to trick him into invading Taiwan, but said he won't take the bait, report says
Xi Jinping told an EU leader that the US was trying to trick China into invading Taiwan, per the Financial Times, amid increasing tensions.
The Telegraph
Disappointing end to Ukraine summit as allies agree to watered-down peace declaration
Kyiv and its allies agreed on a watered-down declaration at a peace summit in Switzerland that backed Ukraine’s territorial integrity but failed to lay out steps to end the war.
AFP News
Philippine, Chinese ships collide near hotspot reef
Philippine and Chinese vessels collided near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on Monday, with both sides accusing the other of being to blame for the incident.It has in recent months stepped up moves against Philippine vessels in the area around Second Thomas Shoal.
The Telegraph
Eight Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza armoured vehicle blast
Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in Rafah on Saturday when their armoured vehicle was hit by a “major explosion”.
AFP News
Shunned by West, Russian army deserters live in fear
Russian officer Farkhad Ziganshin had prepared himself for a life of military service since a young age.- 'Live with dignity' - Ziganshin went to a military boarding school at the age of 10 and graduated from a military academy that prepares Russian tank commanders.
Evening Standard
Joe Biden appears to freeze again at fundraiser as Barack Obama helps him off stage
It is the latest in a series of incidents that have sparked concerns about the president’s health
The Telegraph
China is almost ready for its war with the West
While Russian forces continued their thrust towards Kharkiv over the weekend, world leaders descended on the Swiss resort of Bürgenstock in attempts to work out what a peace deal should look like. Vladimir Putin, predictably, had no interest in attending, but the absence of another world leader was more significant. Even as the US gears up to pivot its military attention to the Indo-Pacific to confront an increasingly assertive China, Xi Jinping chose not to attend.
The Telegraph
New US weapons narrow gap between Ukraine and Russian forces
US military artillery shells have reached frontline Ukrainian units and have started to break Russian battlefield momentum.
Reuters
China views Taiwan's 'elimination' as national cause, Taiwan president says
China views the annexation and "elimination" of Taiwan as its great national cause, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said on Sunday, telling cadets at the military's premier academy they must know their enemy and not give in to defeatism. Lai has faced sustained personal attacks from China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, since assuming office last month, with Beijing calling him a "separatist". China staged war games around Taiwan shortly after Lai's inauguration.
Reuters
Spain seeks to avert trade war after China announces pork anti-dumping probe
SANTANDER/MADRID (Reuters) -Leading EU pork exporter Spain on Monday said it was working with European Union officials to avoid damaging tariffs after Beijing said it would open an anti-dumping inquiry. China's investigation appears mainly targeted at Spain, the Netherlands, France and Denmark, the three biggest EU exporters of pork to China. Its announcement follows one from the European Commission last week that it would impose anti-subsidy duties on imported Chinese cars from July.
HuffPost UK
Putin Aide Says Kyiv Should 'Show Sobriety' And Accept Russia's Demanding Peace Deal
The Russian president's peace proposal was written off almost immediately by most in the West.
HuffPost
Ex-RNC Chair Michael Steele Calls ‘BS’ On Trump’s ‘Black Friends’ Claim
The former president’s claim gets put to the test on MSNBC.
CNN
The British Army trains in Kenya. Many women say soldiers raped them and abandoned children they fathered
Seventeen-year-old Marian Pannalossy cuts a striking figure wherever she goes in Archer’s Post, a small town 200 miles north of Nairobi. She lives alone and is light-skinned in a place where mixed-race people are a rarity and therefore ostracized.
HuffPost
Anthony Scaramucci Scorches CEOs With 1 Blistering Description Over Trump Meeting
The ex-White House communications director reminded the group of top business leaders that they "were not happy" when Trump was president.
The Independent
John Oliver explains why Trump’s second term would be ‘far, far worse’ than his first
‘It should be troubling to absolutely everyone,’ comedian warned
France 24
Philippine ship, Chinese vessel collide in disputed South China Sea
A Philippine ship and a Chinese vessel collided near the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, Beijing's Coast Guard said. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea, brushing aside competing claims from several Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines and an international ruling that its stance has no legal basis.China deploys coast guard and other boats to patrol the waters and has turned several reefs into militarised artificial islands. Chinese an
Reuters
China opens tit-for-tat anti-dumping probe into European pork
BEIJING (Reuters) -China has opened an anti-dumping investigation into imported pork and its by-products from the European Union, a step that appears mainly aimed at Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark, in response to curbs on its electric vehicle exports. The investigation announced by China's commerce ministry on Monday will focus on pork intended for human consumption, such as fresh, cold and frozen whole cuts, as well as pig intestines, bladders and stomachs. It was prompted by a complaint submitted by the China Animal Husbandry Association on June 6 on behalf of the domestic pork industry, the ministry said.

Latest stories