Poland scrambles aircraft and issues border alerts during Russian drone strikes on Ukraine

Emergency alerts issued in eastern Poland

Poland's Government Security Centre (RCB) issued emergency alerts on Thursday morning to residents across two eastern voivodeships bordering Ukraine. The mobile notifications reached citizens in Lublin and Subcarpathian voivodeships shortly after 6:00 a.m. following Russian air attacks in western Ukraine. The notification warned residents of active aerial operations and instructed the public to follow updates through official broadcast channels. Polish authorities distributed the alert text simultaneously via social media platforms, Polish Radio, Telewizja Polska, and the Polish Press Agency. The broadcast stated the nature of the threat and confirmed that domestic air assets were airborne.

UWAGA! UWAGA! UWAGA! Rosyjski atak powietrzny na terenie Ukrainy. Sytuacja jest monitorowana. W przestrzeni RP operuje polskie lotnictwo. Śledź komunikaty.

Military aviation response and border monitoring

The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces raised the readiness of national air defense systems early Thursday. Military authorities initiated the procedure as Russian jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles struck targets in the western sectors of Ukraine. Polish fighter aircraft took off to monitor national airspace and secure border areas from potential incursions. The command emphasized that all measures taken by armed forces were strictly preventive and designed to ensure border integrity. The Operational Command described the defensive deployment in an official communication published at 6:48 a.m.

Informujemy, że w związku z aktywnością rosyjskich odrzutowych bezzałogowych statków powietrznych, prowadzących uderzenia na cele w zachodniej części Ukrainy, doszło do krótkotrwałego podniesienia gotowości wybranych sił i środków Systemu Obrony Powietrznej RP

Russian drone activity across western Ukraine

The cross-border warning followed reports from the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine regarding incoming Russian strike drones. Ukrainian military channels reported that jet-powered drones departed the Zhytomyr region before 6:00 a.m. and headed west toward the area north of Rivne. Ukrainian authorities subsequently declared a yellow alert across northwestern administrative territories, including Volyn oblast directly adjacent to Poland. The Ukrainian alert in Volyn took effect at approximately 7:00 a.m. local time (6:00 a.m. in Warsaw). Polish radar systems tracked the westward trajectory of the targets to assess any flight paths approaching Polish territory. The strikes occurred despite earlier public statements regarding potential diplomatic negotiations to end the war.

Distribution and reissuing of safety warnings

The regional alert experienced procedural interruptions before authorities sent a renewed warning later in the morning. At 6:48 a.m., the Operational Command noted that readiness levels had returned to normal as the initial threat subsided. The Government Security Centre published a formal cancellation at 6:57 a.m. stating that no threat remained on Polish territory. The agency explained that the initial transmission had been halted mid-delivery when the threat appeared to pass, leaving only part of the population notified. Renewed drone movement in western Ukraine prompted a second emergency alert at 7:07 a.m. to both voivodeships. In Lubelskie, the alert spanned administrative districts including Biała Podlaska, Chełm, Puławy, and Zamość. In Podkarpackie, warnings covered districts including Rzeszów, Przemyśl, Krosno, Mielec, and Tarnobrzeg.