Warsaw, May 24 (SANA) Poland’s military said Sunday it had placed its air force on heightened alert and intensified aerial patrols following large-scale Russian missile strikes on Ukraine overnight.
The Polish Armed Forces Operational Command said the measures were aimed at securing Polish airspace and protecting areas near regions affected by the escalating conflict.
The head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, Tymur Tkachenko, said on social media that the Ukrainian capital was coming under a heavy ballistic missile attack and urged residents to remain in shelters.
Initial reports indicated damage at four locations across Kyiv, including residential buildings, while explosions were heard throughout the city as air raid sirens sounded nationwide.
The developments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Saturday that Russia could intensify missile strikes using advanced weapons systems, including the hypersonic Oreshnik missile.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged a military response to what Moscow described as Ukrainian drone attacks carried out overnight between Thursday and Friday in the Luhansk region. Russian officials said the attacks killed 18 people and wounded more than 40 others.
Kyiv denied targeting civilian sites, saying the strikes targeted a Russian drone command centre.
Russia has reportedly used the Oreshnik missile twice since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, targeting military and industrial facilities deep inside Ukrainian territory.
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