(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On April 26, NATO member Poland activated its air force after long-range aviation attacks on Ukraine by Russia.
Two energy facilities, located near Chervonohrad and Stryi, were struck by the Russian hypersonic and cruise missiles during the attacks, which caused NATO allies, including Poland, to scramble their aircraft. According to DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company, the attacks seriously damaged four DTEK-owned thermal power plants. The head of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast was one of the facilities targeted by the attack.
Ukraine officials have stated that 21 out of the 24 missiles that Russia fired were destroyed by Ukraine’s air force. No missiles entered Polish airspace.
According to a post on Twitter by the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces, measures were implemented to ensure the security of Polish airspace, including the deployment of on-duty aircraft, after a series of attacks by the Russians. The post continued, noting that the noise levels in the southeastern part of the country might have increased as a result of the “deployment of on-duty aircraft.”
Poland’s Operational Command announced on April 27 that the operation ended because the situation had stabilized, with the threat level lowered.
The attacks come as Russia continues to step up its attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine, such as the destruction of the Trypillia thermal power plant, which supplied the Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Cherkasy regions with electricity. On April 29, Russian attacks on the infrastructure in the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa left four people dead and 27 injured, according to regional governor Oleh Kiper. After the strike, images of a building known as the “Harry Potter Castle,” circulated, showing the turreted gothic-style building on fire.
According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Ukraine will be receiving more ammunition and weapons, including munitions for a Patriot defense missile system, to help its battle against Russian attacks that continue to target infrastructure.
Poland’s response comes as NATO’s readiness and vigilance in Eastern Europe is being tested amidst the Russia and Ukraine war.
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