NATO jets scramble as Russian missile detonates in Poland

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that NATO fighter aircraft were sent up early Thursday after a missile linked to Russia’s overnight attack on Ukraine crossed into Polish airspace and exploded in eastern Poland. The reported impact site was in Tarnawa-Kolonia, where Polish authorities said a large crater was found. The incident caused no injuries or damage, according to the report.

The missile was described as part of a wider Russian barrage of ballistic missiles and drones aimed at Ukraine overnight. Al Jazeera reported that the attack killed at least eight civilians, including children, and wounded more than 50. NATO members, including Poland, responded by launching F-16s, along with aerial refuelling and early warning aircraft, according to an alliance spokesperson cited in the article.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk visited the area and said indications pointed to a Russian missile. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Poland and the alliance activated air and ground defences and described the incident as a reckless consequence of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said on X that the projectile was a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile and argued that stronger Ukrainian air defences would also help protect the Euro-Atlantic area.

The episode adds to concern among NATO’s eastern members that the war in Ukraine could increasingly affect alliance territory. Al Jazeera noted recent drone or missile-related incidents involving Poland, Romania, Estonia and Latvia, as well as European Union discussions about a possible “drone wall” to protect the bloc’s eastern flank.