Poland scrambles aircraft as Russia fires hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine
Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early on Saturday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, armed forces of the Nato-member country said.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command said in a post on X.
At 03.40 British time, nearly all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts after Ukrainian air force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Shortly after 05.00 British time, Polish and allied air forces ended the operation as airstrikes by the Russian Federation against Ukraine were ceased, the Polish command said, adding that the actions were “preventative and aimed at securing airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened area”.
The move comes after Russia fired 40 missiles and about 580 drones at Ukraine in a “massive attack” that killed three and wounded dozens, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
“Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on social media, urging Kyiv’s allies to provide more air defence systems and hit Moscow with extra sanctions.
“The enemy is attacking with strike drones and missiles. Peaceful settlements of the region are under attack,” Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, said.
The mayor of Mykolaiv said that Russia had also hit the southern Ukrainian city with drones and missiles but that there were “no casualties”.
Key events
British transport minister Heidi Alexander said on Saturday that she was getting regular updates on an earlier incident affecting airline check-in and boarding which was impacting flights at Heathrow and other European airports.
She said in a post on X:
I‘m aware of an incident affecting airline check-in and boarding, impacting flights at Heathrow and other European airports
I’m getting regular updates, and monitoring the situation. If you’re flying at Heathrow today, check with your airline before travelling.
Brussels airport said earlier that a cyber-attack was having a “large impact” on flight schedules, with similar problems being flagged at Berlin’s Brandenburg airport and Heathrow in London, Europe’s busiest.
According to the BBC, aviation watchdog Eurocontrol said airlines had been asked to cancel half their flights to and from Brussels airport between 4.00am British time on Saturday and 2.00am British time on Sunday because of the incident.
Berlin airport said on its website that there were longer waiting times at check-in and it was working on a quick solution.
Delta Air Lines said it anticipated minimal impact to flights departing from the three affected airports, according to Reuters.
It added that the airline had implemented a workaround to minimise any disruption.
The general staff of the armed forces of Ukraine claimed on Saturday that Russia had lost more than 1 million troops since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on 24 February 2022.
The report, published in a Facebook post, said Russia had lost about 1,100,600 troops, 11,192 tanks and 23,280 armoured combat vehicles.
Also included in the list were 32,927 artillery systems, 1,492 multiple launch rocket systems and 61,045 drones.
Ruth Michaelson
Ruth Michaelson is a journalist based in Istanbul
The outgoing head of MI6 has issued a damning indictment of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying that Vladimir Putin has “bitten off more than he can chew”.
Richard Moore, known within MI6 as C, used his farewell speech in Istanbul to say that while Russia was unlikely to win on the battlefield, his agency was seeking to recruit spies inside Russia and worldwide in order to fight back.
“Putin has sought to convince the world that Russian victory is inevitable, but he lies. He lies to the world. He lies to his people. Perhaps he even lies to himself,” said Moore. “But we should not believe him. Or credit him with strength he does not have.”
Any Russian victories on the battlefield remained incremental, said Moore, and incurred massive costs as the president’s army fell far short of its original aims to swiftly capture all of Ukraine.
The rising costs now included more than a million casualties – a quarter of them “poorly trained troops from Russia’s poorest regions” that were “fed into the meat grinder”, he said.
You can read more of Ruth Michaelson’s report here: Outgoing MI6 chief says Putin has ‘bitten off more than he can chew’ in Ukraine
At least 10 flights were cancelled out of Brussels airport and another 17 delayed by over an hour after the system was hit by a “cyber-attack” overnight on Friday, the airport said.
EasyJet, among Europe’s biggest airlines, said it was currently operating as normal and did not expect the problem to impact its flights for the rest of the day, Reuters reports.
Other major airlines Ryanair and British Airways owner IAG did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
There were no indications of threats to Polish airports, deputy prime minister and digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said.
Gawkowski wrote on X:
Information on the situation is being continuously gathered, and Polish authorities are in contact with authorities in other countries.
The Russian defence ministry claimed on Saturday that Russian troops have taken control of the village of Berezove in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, according to Reuters.
It said its forces had successfully carried out strikes with high-precision weapons on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities overnight.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield reports.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the UN general assembly next week in comments released on Saturday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Zelensky said he would hold “a meeting with the president of the United States”, adding he would discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia during the talks with Trump.
Below are some of the latest pictures of Ukraine coming through from the wires.
Company behind software targeted by cyber-attack working to resolve issue ‘as quickly as possible’
Collins Aerospace owner RTX said on Saturday that it had become aware of a cyber- related disruption to its MUSE software in selected airports, after European flight hubs flagged delays due to a cyber-attack, Reuters reports.
The company said:
We are actively working to resolve the issue and restore full functionality to our customers as quickly as possible.
The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations.
Brussels airport said the incident was having a “large impact” on flight schedules, with similar problems being flagged at Berlin’s Brandenburg airport and Heathrow in London, Europe’s busiest.
Sergiy Lysak, the head of the Ukrainian military administration in the Dnipropetrovsk region, said Russia’s latest strikes killed one person and wounded 26, with one man in a serious condition, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.
Vyacheslav Chaus from the regional administration in Chernigiv in northern Ukraine said a 62-year-old man died in a drone attack.
About 20 residential buildings were damaged in the Khmelnytskyi region, local official Sergiy Tyurin said on Telegram, adding that one body was found “during the extinguishing of a fire in one of the houses.”
The reports come as part of an attack which saw Russia firing 40 missiles and about 580 drones at Ukraine in a “massive attack” – one of the largest in past weeks – killing three people and wounding dozens, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
In the overnight attacks, “a missile with cluster munitions directly struck an apartment building” in the eastern city of Dnipro, Zelenskyy said on social media.
He added:
All night, Ukraine was under a massive attack by Russia. The enemy launched 40 missiles – cruise and ballistic – and about 580 drones of various types.
As of now, we know of dozens of people injured from the shelling, and, unfortunately, three people killed.
In the Kyiv region, local authorities said there were strikes in the areas of Bucha, Boryspil and Obukhiv. A home and cars were damaged. In the western region of Lviv, province governor Maksym Kozytskyi said two cruise missiles were shot down, according to the Associated Press.
The Russian defence ministry said on Saturday its air defence alert systems “intercepted and destroyed” 149 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Drones attacked fuel and energy complex facilities in Russia’s Samara region, the local governor said on Saturday, Reuters reports.
Vyacheslav Fedorishchev wrote on the state-backed messenger MAX:
This morning our region was attacked by drones. The targets were the objects of the fuel and energy complex. Currently, the consequences of the strikes are contained.
Major European airports cancel flights after cyber-attack
A cyber-attack at a service provider for check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London’s Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin’s Brandenburg, causing flight delays and cancellations on Saturday.
Collins Aerospace, which provides check-in and boarding systems for several airlines across multiple airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers, London’s Heathrow airport said on Saturday, having warned of delays.
RTX, Collins Aerospace’s parent, was not immediately available for comment outside US business hours, according to Reuters.
The attack has rendered automated systems inoperable, allowing only manual check-in and boarding procedures, Brussels airport said on its website.
It added:
This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancellations of flights… The service provider is actively working on the issue and trying to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Passengers with a flight scheduled for Saturday were advised by the affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport.
Berlin’s Brandenburg airport said in a banner on its website:
Due to a technical issue at a system provider operating across Europe, there are longer waiting times at check-in. We are working on a quick solution.
Frankfurt airport, Germany’s largest, was not affected, a spokesperson said. An official from the operations control centre at Zurich airport also said it had not been impacted.
Poland scrambles aircraft as Russia fires hundreds of drones and missiles at Ukraine
Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early on Saturday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, armed forces of the Nato-member country said.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command said in a post on X.
At 03.40 British time, nearly all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts after Ukrainian air force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Shortly after 05.00 British time, Polish and allied air forces ended the operation as airstrikes by the Russian Federation against Ukraine were ceased, the Polish command said, adding that the actions were “preventative and aimed at securing airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened area”.
The move comes after Russia fired 40 missiles and about 580 drones at Ukraine in a “massive attack” that killed three and wounded dozens, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
“Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on social media, urging Kyiv’s allies to provide more air defence systems and hit Moscow with extra sanctions.
“The enemy is attacking with strike drones and missiles. Peaceful settlements of the region are under attack,” Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, said.
The mayor of Mykolaiv said that Russia had also hit the southern Ukrainian city with drones and missiles but that there were “no casualties”.
Opening summary
Polish and allied aircraft were deployed early on Saturday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched airstrikes targeting western Ukraine near the border with Poland, armed forces of the Nato-member country said.
“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command said in a post on X.
At 03.40 British time, nearly all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts after Ukrainian air force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Shortly after 05.00 British time, Polish and allied air forces ended the operation as airstrikes by the Russian Federation against Ukraine were ceased, the Polish command said, adding that the actions were “preventative and aimed at securing airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened area”.
The move comes after Russia fired 40 missiles and about 580 drones at Ukraine in a “massive attack” that killed three and wounded dozens, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
“Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorise civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on social media, urging Kyiv’s allies to provide more air defence systems and hit Moscow with extra sanctions.
“The enemy is attacking with strike drones and missiles. Peaceful settlements of the region are under attack,” Mykola Kalashnyk, the head of the Kyiv regional military administration, said.
The mayor of Mykolaiv said that Russia had also hit the southern Ukrainian city with drones and missiles but that there were “no casualties”.
Russian officials said their forces had repelled “massive” Ukrainian attacks in the Volgograd and Rostov regions, while one person was wounded in the nearby region of Saratov.
Russian forces have been grinding across eastern Ukraine for months, trying to take control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Hopes of a truce have faded since US president Donald Trump held separate high-profile meetings with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Zelenskyy last month.
In other developments:
Three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland on Friday, Estonia said, triggering complaints of a dangerous new provocation from the EU and Nato. Italian F-35 fighters attached to Nato’s air defence support mission in the Baltic states were scrambled to intercept the Russian jets and warn them off, Estonian and Italian officials said, with alliance chief Mark Rutte praising the “quick and decisive response”.
Russia’s defence ministry on Friday denied that three of its MiG-31 fighter jets had illegally entered Estonian airspace. The ministry said the jets were on a “scheduled flight… in strict compliance with international airspace regulations and did not violate the borders of other states, as confirmed by objective monitoring”.
Zelenskyy on Friday condemned the move, calling the 12-minute incursion “outrageous” and accusing Moscow of deliberately expanding its “destabilising activity” three and a half years after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “These are not accidents. This is a systematic Russian campaign directed against Europe, against Nato, against the West. And it requires a systemic response,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
President Donald Trump said on Friday he would soon be briefed on reports that Russia had violated Estonia’s airspace and made clear he was not pleased with the situation. “I don’t love it. I don’t like when that happens. Could be big trouble,” Trump told reporters.
One or more large fires erupted early on Saturday at Russia’s Saratov oil refinery as it was hit heavily by Ukrainian drones that attacked the target deep inside Russian territory for at least the second time in a week. Videos vetted and posted by online analysts showed incoming UAVs followed by big explosions and flames rising from the site while air raid sirens blared. The major refinery is nearly 600km (370 miles) east of the frontline in Ukraine. The Russian governor in the area, Roman Busargin, confirmed an attack by UAVs.
The EU proposed on Friday to bring forward by a year to January 2027 a total ban on Russian natural gas imports as part of its 19th package of sanctions targeting Moscow. The European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, said “it is time to turn off the tap” of fossil fuel revenue to the Kremlin. Zelenskyy welcomed the measures, saying they would have a significant effect on the Russian economy.
Ukrainian troops pressed on with a frontline counteroffensive around two eastern cities on Friday with Zelenskyy saying heavy losses were being inflicted on Russian forces. The counteroffensive had disrupted Russian plans in their longstanding objective of seizing the logistics centre of Pokrovsk, said Ukraine’s president. Russia said its forces captured two new villages – Muravka outside Pokrovsk and Novoivanivka further in the Zaporizhzhia region – but its defence ministry made no reference to the Ukrainian drive near the towns of Pokrovsk and Dobropillia.
The general staff of Ukraine’s military listed Muravka among settlements where its forces had halted 87 attacks near Pokrovsk. Zelenskyy also said Ukrainian forces were holding their positions around Kupiansk – an area of Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region that has been subject to Russian assaults for months.
Zelenskyy said on Friday that Kyiv plans to begin exporting certain types of weapons, such as naval drones, to finance its domestic military production. “We already have certain types of weapons in much larger quantities than we actually need today in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in his daily address.
Russia has filed an appeal with the International Court of Justice over a decision deeming Moscow responsible for the downing of a Malaysian jetliner over Ukraine in 2014, killing 298 people, the court said on Friday. Australia and the Netherlands, the countries with the most fatalities in the disaster, had launched the case, calling for Russia to assume responsibility for the downing and pay damages.
