RMF24 called the afternoon alert on 16 October the seventh in the past 24 hours, while a PAP report on the minister's remarks put the total at six. Two of the alerts are cited with times: one before 6:00 and one at 8:17.
The Operational Command reported military aircraft in Polish airspace after 1 a.m. on 16 October. PAŻP halted operations at Lublin airport, and Rzeszów airport was working on a limited basis.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said a drone hit a locomotive with tank cars about 6-7 km from the Polish border, on the Ukrainian side. He said border crossings were again the target of attacks.
Michał Deruś put the wait for lorries leaving Poland at Dorohusk at about 40 hours and the estimated wait at Hrebenne at 25 hours. Clearance is suspended during alerts.
The government alert centre (Rządowe Centrum Bezpieczeństwa, RCB) sent SMS warnings to residents of Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodeships on 16 October, after Russian air attacks on Ukraine. Each message said the situation was being monitored, that Polish aviation was operating in Polish airspace, and that further announcements would follow. The county lists in the alerts named dozens of local authorities across both regions, from Lublin and Chełm to Zamość, Rzeszów, Przemyśl and Krosno. The first alert of the morning was issued before 6:00 and cancelled about a dozen minutes later, and a second went out at 8:17. Counts differed between outlets: RMF24 described the afternoon alert as the seventh in the past 24 hours, while a PAP report on the minister's remarks put the total at six.
The Operational Command of the Armed Forces said shortly after 1 a.m. on 16 October that Polish military aircraft were operating in the airspace in response to Russian strikes on targets in western Ukraine. It described the measures as preventive, with ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems brought to readiness. The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PAŻP) said flights at Lublin airport had been halted to ensure military aviation could act freely, while Rzeszów airport was working on a limited basis, according to its post on X. The military had also reported scrambling aircraft on the evening of Thursday, 15 October, before 20:00, and said the activity ended after 21:00. The Operational Command stated the following:
“The Operational Command is monitoring the current situation, and its subordinate forces remain ready to react.”
Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is also deputy prime minister, spoke at a press briefing in Sopot on 16 October. He said the recent days had been hard not only for Ukraine but also for Polish air defence, missile defence and counter-drone systems, and that all of them were ready to be raised if the operational commander decided so. He also said he hoped the night would sober up politicians who claim there is no war in Ukraine. According to the minister, a drone struck a locomotive pulling wagons and tank cars about 6-7 km from the Polish border, on the Ukrainian side, and border crossings were once again a target. He told reporters:
“We are after a very difficult night and morning connected with the activity of Polish aviation.”
He added a warning about the border itself:
“The situation is very serious, and border crossings are once again the target of the attacks.”
Waiting times for lorries leaving Poland were long on 16 October. Michał Deruś, spokesman for the Lublin regional tax administration chamber, said drivers leaving through Dorohusk faced about 40 hours, while the estimated wait at Hrebenne was 25 hours. Other reports described the Dorohusk wait as close to two days and the Hrebenne wait as about a day. Deruś said queues typically grow before weekends and public holidays, when traffic and the number of waiting vehicles can rise by several dozen percent. Customs clearance is also suspended during air alerts linked to Russian attacks on western Ukraine.
Data from the article text
The RCB alert is an SMS system for informing the public about threats and emergencies. Its messages draw on information from ministries and services such as the police, fire brigade and border guard, as well as offices and central institutions. The messages published in the reports on 16 October carried the same text, which stated that Russian air attacks were under way in Ukraine and that Polish aviation was operating in Polish airspace.
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Polish military aircraft operated in the country's airspace on 16 October while the government alert centre sent repeated SMS warnings to residents of Lublin and Podkarpackie. The alerts followed Russian air attacks on western Ukraine.
AI text based on reports by www.gazetaprawna.pl, rmf24.pl, Nasz Dziennik and other publishers. Changed .