On the night of 9 September, Poland stepped up its military activity in its airspace in response to the increased activity of Russian long-range aviation, which launched aggressive strikes against Ukraine.

In the context of the extremely heavy night-time bombing of Ukrainian territory, the decision to undertake the aviation operation was taken with the specific aim of monitoring and securing the area, the Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Poland confirmed. According to the official account, in parallel with the aerial deployment, the Polish military authorities had ground-based air defense and advanced radar reconnaissance systems put on alert.

These military preparations were approved by the Government of Poland but especially in the areas located closest to the territory of Ukraine. These protocols could be likened to the means taken to prevent a war, and they served first and foremost to ensure the absolute safety of Polish airspace and to make it possible to have a swift response in case of an escalating threat. In the end, no violations of Polish airspace were reported.

The swiftness of Poland’s defense came at a time of an extensive Russian offensive in which military forces extensively encircled civilian settlements on the Polish border. The President of Ukraine and region authorities sent out communications about the extensive damage inflicted during the overnight attack.

These long-range aviation threats are always being tracked by the Armed Forces of Ukraine as they enter Ukrainian airspace. In this particular round of the fighting, the capital city was shelled by the Russians to such an extent that there were many civilian casualties and damage to non-military facilities. Immediately after the strikes, the Kyiv City State Administration began emergency response activities, which included damage to the city and support to the people affected by the strikes.