NATO fighters were scrambled overnight due to the deployment of Russia’s hulking strategic bomber aircraft firing deadly missiles across a wide swathe of Ukraine. According to the reports, over 60 ballistic and cruise missiles – including hypersonic – and blasted Ukraine with at least 350 strike drones.
Poland sent NATO jets into the air as a safety measure after Russia launched its large strategic bombers, which fired missiles across extensive areas of Ukraine. A nighttime announcement in the area said: “Due to the activity of long-range Russian air forces carrying out strikes on Ukrainian territory, military aviation has begun operating in Polish airspace. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces has activated the necessary forces and resources at its disposal.
“Fighter aircraft and an early warning aircraft have been scrambled, and ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of readiness. These operations are preventative in nature and are aimed at securing and protecting airspace, particularly in areas adjacent to the threatened areas.
“The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces is monitoring the current situation, and its subordinate forces and resources remain ready to respond immediately.”
Russia launched the strikes despite what Donald Trump said was a personal assurance from the Kremlin leader that Ukrainian cities would be spared for a week during a brutal cold snap, with temperatures plunging below –20C.
The bombardment left residents across several Ukrainian cities shivering in freezing homes, as heating systems and power grids were severely damaged, inflicting hardship on ordinary people in the dead of winter.
The Kremlin had earlier indicated that strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure would be halted, but only until February 1.
In Kyiv, air‑defense systems kicked in around 12.30 a.m. as waves of Russian drones moved toward the capital. Moments later, residents reported blasts, according to the public broadcaster Suspilne.
For more than an hour, explosions echoed across the city, Kyiv Independent reporters noted from the scene, while Ukraine’s Air Force issued an alert warning of an incoming ballistic‑missile strike on the capital.
Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia attacked eight regions overnight, launching drones and missiles at high-rise residential buildings as well as thermal power plants and combined heat and power facilities supplying Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro.