Ukraine Russia struggle newest: Poland scrambles warplanes in any case of Ukraine below Russian missiles menace

Russian air defence units intercepted and destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian defence ministry said this morning.

Drones were destroyed over the Kursk and Belgorod border regions and over the southern Russian Rostov region, the ministry said in a post on Telegram.

Yuri Slyusar, acting governor of the Rostov region, said earlier in a Telegram post that there were no injuries reported in the attack, but there were reports of drone debris falling on administrative buildings in one of the region’s districts.

At least three people were injured and several fires broke out in Kyiv early today following a Russian missile attack, the mayor and military administration of the Ukrainian capital said.

All of Ukraine was under air alerts as of 2am GMT after the country’s air force warned of an attack including on regions bordering Poland, forcing the Nato-member to scramble aircraft to ensure air safety.

Fires were recorded in at least three districts of Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram post. Medics hospitalised two civilians in the Darnytskyi district on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River that splits the city, he added.

“Do not leave shelters!” Mr Klitschko said.

The scale of the attack was not immediately clear. There were also no reports of strikes or damage in western Ukrainian regions that border Poland.

Hundreds of people protested in European cities yesterday against Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk, following a bruising week for financial markets after the US president unveiled sweeping global tariffs.

In the British capital, a few hundred people gathered in Trafalgar Square, holding signs saying “Proud American Ashamed” and “WTAF America?”.

The crowd chanted “Hands off Canada”, “Hands off Greenland” and “Hands off Ukraine” while listening to speeches criticising Mr Trump.

The refugees have been increasingly concerned about their legal status in the country, as president Donald Trump said last month that they could revoke their residency status.

Polish and allied aircraft were activated early this morning to ensure the safety of Polish airspace after Russia launched air strikes targeting western Ukraine, the Operational Command of the Polish armed forces said.

“The steps taken are aimed at ensuring security in the regions bordering the areas at risk,” the Command said on X.

All of Ukraine was under air raid alerts as of 2am GMT today after the Ukrainian Air Force warned of Russian missile attacks.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy met the leaders of the British and French armed forces in Kyiv yesterday to discuss the potential deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force to Ukraine, despite the reluctance of US president Donald Trump to provide security guarantees.

The UK ministry of defence said that officials addressed the structure, size and composition of any future “reassurance force,” while the chief of the defense staff, Admiral Antony Radakin, emphasised that the US would look to “build on the formidable capabilities of the Ukrainian army and put them in the strongest possible position to deter Russian aggression.”

The weekend discussions are planned to set the ground for a further meeting between defense ministers in Brussels and the Ukraine Defence Contact Group on Friday.

At least three women were injured after several fires broke out in a Russian air attack on the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv late last night, Ukraine’s officials said.

The attack – a day after least 19 people, including nine children, were killed in strikes on the city of Kryvyi Rih – also damaged several houses, Mykolaiv governor Vitaly Kim posted on Telegram.

One of the women was hospitalised, and the other two were treated on outpatient basis, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. It posted photos and videos of firefighters battling flames in a house at night.

Volodymyr Zelensky expressed disappointment in the US embassy’s response to a Russian missile strike that killed 18 people, including nine children, in his hometown of Kryvyi Rih.

Mr Zelensky, who has been cautious about openly criticising Washington since an uneasy White House meeting with president Donald Trump in February, wrote on social media site X that several embassies in Kyiv had condemned Friday’s attack and singled out Russia for carrying it out.

He noted that the message from the US embassy made no reference to Russia in condemning the attack.

“Unfortunately, the response from the US Embassy is surprisingly disappointing – such a strong country, such a strong people, and yet such a weak reaction,” Mr Zelensky wrote in English.

“They are afraid to even say the word ‘Russian’ when speaking about the missile that murdered children,” he said.

The Kryvyi Rih strike which killed 19 citizens are a “sobering reminder” of Russia’s “barbaric war”, a Foreign Office minister has said.

In a statement on Saturday, Europe minister Stephen Doughty said: “Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure are a sobering reminder that Putin continues to wage his barbaric war against Ukraine.

“Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims.

“As the Prime Minister has said, Russia could choose to accept a ceasefire but instead continues to bombard Ukraine and its population.”

Russia launched an overnight air strike on Kyiv, with the city’s air defence forces trying to repel the attack, the military administration and the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said early today.

“Explosions in the capital. Air defences are working. Stay in shelters!” mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram channel.