Poland scrambled fighter jets and raised its air defenses early Thursday as a suspected Russian missile entered NATO airspace during a significant Russian barrage of more than 70 missiles and 280 drones targeting Ukraine. The attack killed at least 13 people and wounded dozens across Ukraine, from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv.
Polish forces detected an unidentified object moving west through the country’s airspace shortly before 4 a.m. An F-16 fighter jet was dispatched to intercept it, but the object disappeared from radar. Debris found in farmland near Tarnawa-Kolonia indicated the object was likely a Russian Kh-101 missile, according to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. He stated that Polish forces were prepared to shoot down the missile had it continued toward a populated area, and that initial evidence suggested it was not intended for Polish territory. The United States has expressed interest in joining the investigation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as exposing a critical shortage of Western-supplied interceptors, particularly against ballistic missiles. "The protection of people’s lives depends directly on their willingness" to provide Ukraine with air-defense missiles, Zelenskyy said, addressing Kyiv's allies. He also stated that the initiative in the war is no longer in Russian President Vladimir Putin's hands, estimating Russia loses 30,000 troops monthly and that Ukraine's military has been transformed with support from over 500 defense companies.
The European Union disbursed $4 billion to Ukraine on Thursday to help finance the procurement of more drones, missiles, air defense systems, and fighter jets. This disbursement is part of a larger loan package approved by the EU earlier this year.
In Ukraine, Russian strikes hit residential buildings, vehicles, storage facilities, a market, and a garage complex in the capital. In Kyiv, a 31-year-old man was killed and two others wounded. Rescue operations continued in Lviv, a city near the Polish border, where emergency crews searched damaged apartment buildings. Thirty people, including children, were reported injured in Lviv, with over 20 residential buildings, a school, and two kindergartens damaged. Near Kryvyi Rih, a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile struck a private home, killing six people, including two young girls. In total, seven others were reported killed in Kyiv and the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions.
Ukraine's air force reported intercepting 55 missiles and 265 drones. However, only one of nine ballistic missiles was shot down, while 11 missiles and 17 drones struck targets across 20 locations. The U.S.-made Patriot system is currently Ukraine's only defense capable of reliably intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy has previously warned that Patriot interceptors are arriving too slowly and in insufficient numbers.
During a recent visit to Washington, Zelenskyy discussed U.S. licenses for Patriot interceptor production in Ukraine with President Donald Trump and met with Lockheed Martin executives. While domestic production could offer a long-term solution, it would not address Ukraine's immediate missile shortage. European countries have offered to fund additional U.S.-made interceptors.
Zelenskyy's visit also coincided with Senate consideration of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026. The Senate had cleared initial procedural hurdles for the legislation, which aims to impose sanctions on Russian officials, entities, and energy projects accused of aiding Moscow in evading existing restrictions. It also proposes tariffs on goods from major purchasers of Russian oil and gas and countries facilitating sanctions evasion. Graham had negotiated the revised package with the White House shortly before his death.