Poland scrambled its aircraft overnight on Tuesday as Russia launched significant air strikes on Ukraine’s western city of Lviv, close to the Polish border. The NATO member activated its defenses for the third time in eight days, responding to increased Russian bombardment across Ukraine.
The Russian attack on Lviv resulted in at least seven deaths, including three children, with many more injured. The strikes damaged over 50 structures, including schools, homes, and clinics, according to Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyi. The destruction occurred mainly in the heart of the historic city.
Poland’s armed forces confirmed on social media that both Polish and allied aircraft were scrambled in response to the Russian attack, highlighting the heightened alert across NATO’s eastern flank.
In addition to the attack on Lviv, Russia also targeted Kyiv and other regions with missiles on Wednesday, although no immediate damage was reported. The escalation comes amid ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, which have intensified following Kyiv’s incursions into Russian territory in Kursk.
In a separate and deadly attack on Tuesday, Russian forces hit a military institute in Poltava, killing over 50 people and wounding hundreds. Russia has yet to comment on the attacks on Poltava, Lviv, and Kyiv, maintaining its stance that strikes are aimed solely at military, energy, and transport infrastructure, not civilians.
Amid these escalations, Poland announced new military deals worth $520 million to bolster its defense capabilities. This move is part of Poland’s ongoing effort to strengthen its military in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Poland currently spends 4% of its GDP on defense, the highest among NATO members, with plans to increase this to 4.7% next year.
Recent military purchases by Poland include a $10 billion deal for 96 Apache attack helicopters from Boeing, intended to replace outdated Russian Mi-24 helicopters. Poland has also secured contracts for hundreds of AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missiles and 48 launchers for Patriot air defense systems.
With an army of 200,000 soldiers, Poland has the third-largest military in NATO, following the United States and Turkey, and the largest within the European Union.
