Russia launched nearly 400 drones and dozens of missiles targeting Ukraine overnight Monday, prompting NATO members Poland and Romania to scramble fighter jets as strikes neared NATO airspace, according to multiple reports.
Russian Drone and Missile Assault Intensifies
The extensive attack hit at least 10 locations across Ukraine, including Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv, resulting in at least four deaths and over two dozen injuries, Ukrainian officials reported to The Associated Press. Alongside the drone barrage, Russia launched 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles during the nighttime assault.
The Ukrainian air force stated that most of the drones were intercepted or disrupted, though some reached their targets. Ukrainian military leaders noted an increase in assaults along the approximately 750-mile front line, signaling what the Institute for the Study of War described as the start of Moscow’s anticipated spring-summer offensive.
NATO Members Respond with Air Defenses and Fighter Jets
Poland’s operational command announced placing air defenses on the “highest state of readiness” and confirmed allied fighter jets, including Polish aircraft, operating in its airspace due to the activity of long-range Russian strikes on Ukraine. Romania also scrambled two F-16 fighters as Russian drones struck near the Danube River along the Ukraine-Romania border, East2West reported.
These NATO responses reflect heightened regional tensions amid ongoing conflict and rising fears of spillover into alliance territory.
Context and Recent Related Events
The drone and missile attacks followed Ukraine’s recent strike on Russia’s largest Baltic port, Primorsk, which resulted in significant fires at a key export hub. In response, Russia’s ambassador to London, Andrey Kelin, issued a warning about “dire” consequences linked to Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles, which recently damaged a microelectronics plant in Russia’s Bryansk region.
The attacks come amid a protracted conflict exceeding four years, with no ceasefire agreement reached despite repeated negotiations brokered by the United States. Russia has rejected Ukraine’s ceasefire proposals, and hostilities have persisted with intensified operations along the eastern front.
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