Poland said it was raising the alarm level to 'pre-war' in areas bordering Ukraine, mostly around railway lines, as it scrambled fighter jets in the early hours following massive Russian missile and drone assaults in the western part of the war-ravaged country.
'The two fighter jet mission was necessary to protect Polish airspace', a military spokesman said, in coordination with NATO, with the joint chiefs of staff posting on X that ground air defences and radar operators had been placed at a higher level of alert.
Kremlin slams Warsaw with Russophobia
Over the previous day, Russia accused Poland of giving in to Russophobia, after its government blamed the explosion that damaged a railway to Ukraine on two suspects connected with the Russian secret service, today known as FSB.
'Moscow ends up being blamed for all hybrid and conventional war actions', Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Poland was trying to catch the European steamroller feeding Russophobia, now prosperous on Polish soil, he added.
Dozens of injured during overnight raids, Kharkiv targeted
At least 32 people were reported injured during a coordinated drone attack on Kharkiv, according to the region's governor, as the city, 40km from the Russian border, was targeted for a 3rd day running with 4 people killed, including a teenage girl and dozens injured this week.
The governor said 11 drones hit a nine storey apartment block which caught fire. Kharkiv, once the second largest city in Ukraine, but now mostly abandoned and significantly damaged, suffered multiple attacks, starting at midnight.
As winter sets in, Russian forces are intensifying air raids on Ukrainian cities, focusing on energy infrastructures over the past few weeks, trying to exert 'freeze' pressure, with temperatures expected to drop well below zero in many areas.
Kyiv is launching daily strikes on refineries, fuel storage depos and other energy installations across Russia. The Ryazan refinery, one of the largest in the country, has suspended its operations through to early December, following a Ukrainian drone attack.
President Zelenskyy is in Turkey today for talks with US envoy Steve Witkoff as an effort is underway to kickstart stall peace negotiations. Russia said it would be monitoring but not participating.
Sources: Ertnews.gr, protothema.gr, Reuters