Poland has been forced to scramble fighter jets to “ensure the security of Polish airspace” after Russia launched a massive aerial attack against Ukraine.
The Polish military said ground-based air defences and radar reconnaissance systems reached the highest state of readiness during the attack overnight on Friday.
Russia fired 93 missiles and almost 200 drones overnight, with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky describing it as one of the heaviest bombardments of the country’s energy sector since Russia’s full-scale invasion almost three years ago.
Ukrainian defenses shot down 81 missiles, including 11 cruise missiles that were intercepted by F-16 warplanes provided by Western allies earlier this year, Mr Zelensky said.
Russia is “terrorizing millions of people” with such assaults, he said on his Telegram channel, renewing his plea for international unity against Russian president Vladimir Putin.
“A strong reaction from the world is needed: a massive strike – a massive reaction. This is the only way to stop terror,” Mr Zelensky said.
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US military confirms drone sightings at air base in Germany
Drones were spotted flying over the US air base at Ramstein in Germany in early December, a spokesperson for the US Air Force said on Friday.
There were “no impacts to base residents, facilities, or assets,” the spokesperson said. “In concert with host nation authorities, we continue to monitor the airspace to ensure safety and security of the community.”
A security source told Reuters that German authorities had not traced the operators of the drones, but had ruled out the possibility that the drones were operated by amateurs.
The drone sightings over Ramstein were first reported by German news magazine Spiegel, which said a report by German security authorities had flagged a number of unexplained drone sightings over the base in the evening hours of 3 and 4 December.
Spiegel said drones were also sighted over locations belonging to German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and chemicals group BASF.
“The safety of BASF sites is our top priority,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “We therefore keep an eye on suspicious activities at all times and work closely with the relevant security authorities.”
Source: independent.co.uk