Poland scrambles jets twice and evacuates border crossings as Russia strikes near Ukrainian border
On 24 September Poland scrambled military aircraft twice and placed ground-based air-defence systems on alert in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian regions. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said two border crossings with Ukraine, Hrubieszów and Dorohusk, had to be evacuated during a Russian attack near the border. The crossings were closed for about half an hour, with vehicle traffic returning to normal from 12:00. The same night Russia hit Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones, killing at least two people and injuring eight.
Key points
- On the morning of 24 September, Poland twice scrambled military aircraft in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian regions.
- Polish ground-based air-defence and radar reconnaissance systems were placed on readiness; the measures were described as preventive and aimed at securing Polish airspace.
- Around 08:00 Polish fighters returned to base; no violation of Polish airspace was recorded. At 09:07 the Operational Command reported a second scramble.
- Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said two border crossings with Ukraine, Hrubieszów and Dorohusk, were evacuated during a Russian attack near the border.
- The Hrubieszów and Dorohusk crossings were closed for about half an hour, with traffic returning to normal from 12:00.
- In the night of 24 September, Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones, killing a 57-year-old woman in the Podilsky district and a 65-year-old man in the Solomiansky district, and injuring eight people aged 25 to 77.
- Tusk said there are no signs of goodwill from Putin or Moscow to end the war and warned partners that difficult weeks and months lie ahead.
Why it matters
Poland, a NATO frontline state, responded militarily twice within a single morning to Russian strikes on neighbouring Ukraine, underlining the spillover pressure the war places on NATO airspace. The evacuation of the Hrubieszów and Dorohusk crossings shows that Russian strikes are reaching areas immediately adjacent to the EU and NATO border. Tusk's warning of difficult weeks and months ahead signals that Warsaw expects the pressure on its eastern flank to continue.
What happened
On the morning of 24 September, Poland's Operational Command of the Armed Forces scrambled military aircraft in Polish airspace in response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian regions and placed ground-based air-defence and radar reconnaissance systems on heightened readiness. The command described the measures as preventive and aimed at securing Polish airspace. After the first operation, around 08:00, Polish fighter jets returned to their bases and the military said no violation of Polish airspace had been recorded. At 09:07 the Operational Command reported a second scramble. At a press conference in Warsaw with the Bulgarian prime minister, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland had to evacuate the border crossings at Hrubieszów and Dorohusk during a Russian attack on targets near the Ukrainian-Polish border. The crossings were closed for about half an hour, with vehicle traffic returning to normal from 12:00. On the Ukrainian side the affected crossings correspond to Zosin-Ustyluh and Dorohusk-Yahodyn on the border with Volyn Oblast. During the night of 24 September Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles and drones, killing a 57-year-old woman in the Podilsky district and a 65-year-old man in the Solomiansky district, and injuring eight people aged 25 to 77, including a police officer. Polish authorities also sent two alerts to residents of the Podkarpackie and Lublin voivodeships about the danger from Russian drone attacks on western Ukrainian oblasts.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ slightly on the end time of the first Polish scramble: most cite around 08:00, when fighters returned to base, while one cites 08:12 as the moment the operation was reported completed before being resumed. The Bulgarian prime minister at the Warsaw press conference is named as Rosen Zhelyazkov in some articles and as Rumen Radev in others. One article frames the event as the second time Poland had launched military aviation in response to Russian strikes on Ukraine, while the predominant coverage describes two scrambles within the same morning of 24 September.
Background
On 23 September the Polish airports of Rzeszów and Lublin suspended operations amid Russian attacks on Ukraine. Poland had previously announced enhanced security at border crossings with Ukraine because of the Russian threat. Residents in several districts in eastern Poland were being warned about air-raid siren tests.