NATO and Polish jets scramble as Russian missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv and approach border

Airspace alerts along Poland's eastern border

On 18 September, armed Czech JAS-39 Gripen fighters took off from the Pardubice airbase on NATO command to monitor airspace along Poland's eastern border. The deployment responded to Russian drone activity across western Ukraine, with the Czech aircraft later handing over patrol duties to Polish military fighters before returning safely to Pardubice. Poland's Operational Command of the Armed Forces (DORSZ) conducted pre-emptive flight operations in Polish airspace for under two hours during the morning to protect border areas. Military aviation operations briefly halted civilian traffic at Lublin and Rzeszów airports, with the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PAŻP) confirming regular flights resumed before 09:00. DORSZ confirmed that no violation of Polish airspace occurred during the operations, and ground-based radar and air defense systems returned to standard readiness.

Repeated border proximity and civil defense alerts

The 18 September deployment followed several consecutive days of Russian air operations reaching the immediate vicinity of the Polish frontier. On 17 September, the Government Centre for Security (RCB) issued emergency mobile alerts to residents across Lubelskie and Podkarpackie voivodeships instructing them to find a safe place. Air raid sirens sounded in Lublin and Rzeszów after a Russian jet-powered drone approached the Polish border before crashing or being shot down on Ukrainian territory roughly 4 kilometres from the boundary. Polish military fighters scrambled twice during daytime operations on 17 September. During the first incident around noon, General Jarosław Gromadziński briefed Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk during a parliamentary debate on national security in the Sejm. Days prior, on the night of 12 to 13 September, a Russian drone struck a truck near a fuel station 800 metres from the Dorohusk-Jagodzin border crossing, while another drone damaged a locomotive on the passenger railway route between Kyiv and Warsaw.

Technological shifts in Russian drone waves

Russian forces have deployed jet-powered drones, including the Geran-4 and Geran-5 models, to target Ukrainian urban centres and infrastructure near the western border. These unmanned aircraft incorporate engines, optical cameras, and navigation systems sourced almost entirely from Chinese suppliers. The high speed of the jet-propelled platforms has reduced the interception rate of Ukrainian air defense units against these models to approximately 60%. Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) deputy director Jakub Jakóbowski addressed the strategic impact of external components in the drone program.

“Time to open our eyes.”

Ballistic strikes target Kyiv

Beyond the western frontier, Russian forces targeted Kyiv with ballistic missile strikes on the evening of 18 September. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko issued emergency advisories as capital air defense batteries engaged incoming high-velocity targets traveling on ballistic arcs.

“Kyiv is under ballistic fire. Air defense forces are operating in the capital. Stay in shelters!”

The Friday evening bombardment followed a wide attack on 17 September involving cruise, anti-ship, and ballistic missiles alongside 157 strike drones. Ukrainian Air Forces reported neutralizing 124 of those 157 drones during defensive operations. The 17 September strikes injured 19 people in Kyiv, including two children, and damaged residential buildings, educational institutions, administrative offices, gas stations, warehouses, vehicles, and a railway line.

Launched157

Neutralized124

Launched

157 drones

Neutralized

124 drones

Data from the article text