NATO member Poland activated its air defense, including fighter jets, for the third time in just eight days. Citing “safety reasons,” Poland responded as Russia attacked several large population centers with missiles and drones early Wednesday morning (September 4th). Targets included the capital Kyiv and Lviv, the largest city in western Ukraine—located less than 60 kilometers from the Polish border.
Due to its close proximity to Poland, the Lviv attack put the entire Polish air force on high alert, with fighters scrambled throughout the east of the country.
The overnight barrage followed the year’s “deadliest” strike to date, on a military academy in the central Ukrainian town of Poltava the night before. The death toll has since surpassed 50, with over 200 wounded and a further 20 people suspected to be trapped under the rubble.
In Lviv, at least seven people were killed and another 35 wounded in Wednesday’s attack, with over 50 houses, two medical institutions, and two schools being damaged, according to Mayor Andrii Sadovyi. Simultaneous missile strikes were reported in other cities too, such as Kyiv, Sumy, Lutsk, and Rivne, as well as Kryvyi Rih, President Zelensky’s hometown.
Hundreds of missile and drone strikes were launched against Ukraine in the past ten days, targeting other major cities such as Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia.
Observers believe the attacks against civilian centers are Russia’s response to Ukraine’s Kursk offensive. In turn, President Zelensky pleaded for Western allies’ authorization to use their long-range cruise missiles against targets deep inside Russia.
A statement from the Polish Air Force said
This is another very demanding night for Poland’s entire air defense system due to the observed long-range aviation activity of the Russian Federation carrying out attacks on locations, among others, in the western territory of Ukraine.
Last week, an unidentified object entered Polish airspace, sparking debate in the country about whether the Air Force should intervene whenever it sees a missile or drone that might cross into Poland and shoot it down while it is still in Ukrainian airspace.
This critical juncture in the war in Ukraine comes amid the biggest government shake-up in Kyiv since the fighting began in 2022, with five ministers, including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and a dozen other officials resigning within the past two days.
