NATO jets scramble after Russia launches major strike and threatens UK with 'dire' consequences
NATO deployed fighter jets as Russia launched massive strikes on Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles
Vladimir Putin has launched a massive new attack on Ukraine, prompting NATO warplanes to scramble from two allied nations in Europe.
This happened as the Kremlin cautioned Britain of "dire consequences" due to the use by Ukrainian armed forces of UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles to strike Russian territory.
Putin conducted lethal missile and drone strikes targeting civilians overnight, following a severe blow dealt by Ukraine to Russia's energy supplies and exports. Russia's largest port, Primorsk, continues to burn today after a precise Ukrainian strike 24 hours earlier.
The incapacitation of this crucial export hub on the Baltic Sea represents a significant setback for Russia and its shadow fleet, particularly as US oil sanctions are being relaxed amidst the Iran crisis.
The most recent wave of Russian attacks involved T-95MS and Tu-160MS strategic bombers being deployed against Ukraine, triggering NATO fighter jets to scramble in Poland, reports the Mirror.
"Due to the activity of long-range Russian air forces conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory, Polish and allied air forces have begun operating in our airspace," said a statement from Warsaw's operational command.
This involved fighters and early warning aircraft, with ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems placed on the "highest state of readiness".
Hours earlier, two F-16 supersonic multirole fourth-generation fighters were scrambled in fellow NATO state Romania as Russian drones attacked Ukraine on the bank of the River Danube. The Danube is on the border between Ukraine and Romania.
At least 34 missiles ripped through Ukraine, with 25 downed by air defences. A total of 426 drones attacked Ukraine, with 365 shot down or disrupted. In Zaporizhzhia, the Russians killed one and wounded five in strikes on residential buildings.
In Poltava, two died and 11 injured in hits on a hotel and housing, and early morning explosions rocked Ivano-Frankivsk region close to the Romanian border. In Kharkiv, an attack on a train killed a man, 61, and left others wounded.
Meanwhile, Putin's ambassador to London, Andrey Kelin, threatened "dire" consequences over the use of Storm Shadow missiles which this month hit and damaged a microelectronics plant in Russia's Bryansk region.
"The British, without whose participation the use of Storm Shadow missiles is simply impossible, decided to remind everyone of both Ukraine and themselves," he said.
"Against the backdrop of American-Israeli attacks against Iran, London also felt it necessary to 'flex its muscles,' clearly demonstrating the lethality of its systems.
"For Great Britain, with its great-power ambitions, it is crucial to assert itself as a leader in anti-Russian efforts, capable of independently influencing the situation [...]. However, any action has consequences. And for everyone involved in the tragedy in Bryansk, the consequences will be dire."