Russian drones and missiles flew into Ukrainian skies early Saturday in a massive airstrike that appeared to target western Ukraine, including areas near the border with NATO allies, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukraine’s air force said some missiles were heading toward western Zakarpattia and Lviv regions, which border Hungary, Slovakia and Poland, all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Polish military said on social media It has sent fighter jets to protect its southeastern territory in case missiles cross the border, as they have in the past.
The wave of attacks, which are targeting parts of Ukraine that have so far been less affected by the war, could lend more urgency to Ukraine’s recent calls for help from allies to protect its western regions.
Shortly after midnight on Saturday, Ukrainian Air Force The Russian drone launch was reportedly followed by a wave of missiles. Local officials said the wreckage of a downed Russian drone caught fire at an infrastructure facility in the western Vinnytsia region, and several explosions were heard in the southern city of Zaporizhia. No casualties were reported.
The extent of the damage from the attacks was unclear as of 6 a.m. local time. Ukraine’s energy minister said energy facilities in five regions were targeted. Russia has launched a fierce assault on the country’s energy infrastructure in recent months in what appears to be a campaign aimed at cutting power and making life miserable for civilians.
Ukrainian officials believe it would ease the burden on Ukraine if its allies used their own aircraft and air defenses to shoot down Russian missiles approaching its border. Facing a shortage of air defense ammunition and weapons.
“Technically, all of this is possible. Shooting down missiles already on Ukrainian territory from Russian aircraft,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement. In an interview with the New York Times last weekIt also noted that Ukraine’s western neighbors have sent fighter jets to protect their airspace in the event of such attacks.
Analysts believe that such direct NATO involvement could provoke Russian retaliation, which the United States and European governments have resisted. Now Washington and other allies have agreed Partial lifting of the ban Ukrainian officials may try to further press their case regarding Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to attack Russian territory.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelensky, said in a statement on Friday Post on Telegram messaging app If Ukraine’s western neighbors were able to shoot down Russian missiles from their territory, “Ukraine would be able to concentrate its scarce anti-missile systems in the east and south,” which come under attack almost every day.
