Polish officials have accused Russia of wanting “continued war, not peace” after a massive aerial assault on the Ukrainian capital killed one man.
The overnight strike on Kyiv was the first large-scale attack using missiles and drones since the U.S.-brokered limited ceasefire deals with Russia and Ukraine.
Moscow’s forces used ballistic and cruise missiles launched from both strategic bombers and naval fleets, as well as drones, according to Ukraine’s air force.
Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, put its air defense systems on high alert and scrambled its jets as a result of the aerial bombing of its neighbor.
“Poland strongly condemns the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine,” the foreign ministry wrote on X.
“Russia must be held accountable for the deaths of Ukrainian civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Moscow's recent actions show its goal remains continued war, not peace.”
In the early hours of Sunday, the Polish armed forces announced it had “activated all available forces” due to “the intense activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, carrying out strikes on targets located, among others, in western Ukraine.”
It later said that NATO resources and Poland-based Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the U.K.’s Royal Air Force were also involved in the operation. There was no sign Polish airspace was violated, it added.
Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile killed two people in the southern Polish village of Przewodów in 2022.
In Kyiv, several loud explosions were heard overnight, with some occurring around 02:00 a.m. and some later at around 05:00 a.m. on Sunday, the Kyiv Independent website reported.
The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said fires broke out in at least three neighborhoods.
“The body of a man killed in an enemy attack was found in Darnytskiy district,” Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “He was on the street, near the epicenter of the explosion.”
Moscow’s forces used ballistic and cruise missiles launched from both strategic bombers and naval fleets, as well as drones, according to Ukraine’s air force.
Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine, put its air defense systems on high alert and scrambled its jets as a result of the aerial bombing of its neighbor.
“Poland strongly condemns the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine,” the foreign ministry wrote on X.
“Russia must be held accountable for the deaths of Ukrainian civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Moscow's recent actions show its goal remains continued war, not peace.”
Poland scrambles jets
In the early hours of Sunday, the Polish armed forces announced it had “activated all available forces” due to “the intense activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, carrying out strikes on targets located, among others, in western Ukraine.”
It later said that NATO resources and Poland-based Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the U.K.’s Royal Air Force were also involved in the operation. There was no sign Polish airspace was violated, it added.
Poland has been on high alert for objects entering its airspace since a stray Ukrainian missile killed two people in the southern Polish village of Przewodów in 2022.
In Kyiv, several loud explosions were heard overnight, with some occurring around 02:00 a.m. and some later at around 05:00 a.m. on Sunday, the Kyiv Independent website reported.
The city’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said fires broke out in at least three neighborhoods.
“The body of a man killed in an enemy attack was found in Darnytskiy district,” Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “He was on the street, near the epicenter of the explosion.”
‘Russia is going to fight and kill’
Last month, the U.S. announced that both Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a limited ceasefire deal preventing attacks on energy infrastructure and a pause to the fighting on the Black Sea. Moscow later said the naval truce was dependent on certain financial sanctions being lifted.
Both sides have since accused each other of breaking their respective agreements with Washington.
Following Sunday’s attack, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ongoing assaults showed that Russia was not interested in peace.
“Such attacks are Putin's response to all international diplomatic efforts,” he wrote on Telegram. “Each of our partners – America, the whole of Europe, the whole world – has seen that Russia is going to continue to fight and kill.”
The southern region of Mykolaiv was also hit by Russian strikes on Sunday, with three people injured. On Saturday, a deadly assault killed 19 people, with the death toll rising to 20 on Sunday, including nine children, in Zelenskyy’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih.
Both sides have since accused each other of breaking their respective agreements with Washington.
Following Sunday’s attack, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ongoing assaults showed that Russia was not interested in peace.
“Such attacks are Putin's response to all international diplomatic efforts,” he wrote on Telegram. “Each of our partners – America, the whole of Europe, the whole world – has seen that Russia is going to continue to fight and kill.”
The southern region of Mykolaiv was also hit by Russian strikes on Sunday, with three people injured. On Saturday, a deadly assault killed 19 people, with the death toll rising to 20 on Sunday, including nine children, in Zelenskyy’s hometown, Kryvyi Rih.
