NATO Responds to Escalating Threats from Russia
In a dramatic escalation of tensions, NATO was forced to deploy fighter jets throughout the night after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a powerful new wave of attacks on Ukraine. These strikes involved nuclear-capable bombers that posed a direct threat to the borders of four eastern NATO member states. The assault marked one of the most intense incidents in the 1,243-day conflict, with significant damage reported across multiple Ukrainian cities.
The Russian military employed a combination of hypersonic missiles and drones in an attack that targeted the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk. This was the fiercest strike of the war so far, alongside attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv. The scale of the bombardment prompted NATO members to raise their alert levels to the highest possible, with fighter jets scrambled for the second time in three days as the attacks neared the borders of several alliance nations.
A Night of Destruction
Polish military officials confirmed that Polish and allied air forces were on high alert, scrambling interceptors following the strikes that occurred between 60 to 100 miles from the Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, and Slovakian frontiers. In a statement released on social media, they noted that ground-based air defense and radar systems had reached maximum readiness. The statement emphasized that the long-range aviation of the Russian Federation launched a massive missile strike on Ukrainian territory, prompting immediate measures to protect Polish airspace.
Ivano-Frankivsk endured the heaviest missile and drone bombardment of the war, carried out by strategic, nuclear-capable Tu-95MS bombers. Four individuals were injured, including a child, according to local mayor Roman Martsinkiv, who described the attack as the largest since the full-scale invasion began. Three villages in the region were also affected, with a man losing his life and several others wounded during a ten-hour assault on Kyiv.
Civilian Impact and Widespread Damage
The attacks left a devastating impact on civilians in Kyiv, where a 15-year-old girl was among those injured. Strikes targeted key locations such as the Artyom military plant and Zhulyany airport, but also caused damage in multiple districts of the capital. The Lukianivska metro station, where people sought shelter during the night, suffered damage, while a nursery school was set on fire. Thick, harmful smoke enveloped the city as a result of the attacks.
In Kharkiv, the second-largest city in Ukraine, a dozen strikes caused explosions to reverberate through the area. Meanwhile, in the Khmelnytskyi region, 20 houses were damaged due to Russian attacks. Despite the destruction, Ukrainian resistance and disruptions to railway networks caused embarrassment for Putin, particularly at Moscow’s main international airport, Sheremetyevo.
Chaos at Sheremetyevo Airport
At Sheremetyevo, Defence Ministry TV station Zvezda reported long lines of passengers waiting to board flights. Many were seen sleeping wherever they could, using chairs in the waiting area or even decorative “islands” with grass as temporary resting spots. The chaos underscored the growing challenges faced by Russian citizens as the conflict continues to escalate.
