Poland closes airspace near Ukraine border amid Russian strikes

Poland temporarily closed its airspace near its southeastern border cities of Lublin and Rzeszow until 0400 GMT on Sunday following Russian long-range aviation strikes against Ukrainian territory.

The closure resulted from “unplanned military activity related to ensuring state security,” according to flight tracking service Flightradar24, as Polish armed forces scrambled aircraft to protect national airspace during the Russian offensive.

“In connection with the activity of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aircraft have begun operating in our airspace,” the Polish military announced via social media platform X.

Military response to Russian aviation activity

The military described the actions as preventive measures aimed at securing airspace and protecting citizens during the cross-border military situation.

Polish and allied aircraft began operations in Polish airspace specifically in response to the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine-wide air raid alerts activated

Ukrainian Air Force data showed air raid alerts were in effect across the country as of 0300 GMT, indicating the widespread nature of the Russian military activity.