LONDON — In one of the most significant overnight drone attacks of the ongoing conflict, Russian forces launched at least 479 attack drones against various regions in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian air force on Monday.
“According to preliminary data, as of 10:30, air defense neutralized 479 enemy air attack vehicles; 292 were shot down by fire weapons, and 187 were lost in location,” the air force reported in a statement shared in Ukrainian.
In response to the assault, Polish and allied aircraft momentarily scrambled into action over Polish airspace, as noted by the Polish armed forces.
The Ukrainian air force raised a series of alarms early Monday, indicating that Russian drones were actively targeting numerous locations across Ukraine.
The operational commander of the armed forces in Poland stated that he mobilized all available assets. He said, “the on-duty fighter pairs were scrambled, and the ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness,” according to a Polish military statement translated by ABC News. The military characterized the launches as “preventative in nature.”
Approximately three hours later, around 7 a.m. local time, the Polish military announced that the threat from Russian strikes had diminished, allowing Polish and allied warplanes to resume their regular operations.
No breaches of Polish airspace were reported, as confirmed by the military.
This story is still developing, and updates will follow.