Ukraine-Russia war latest: Poland scrambles jets after Moscow launches huge aerial assault on Ukraine

Italian Air Force F-35 fighter jets, currently deployed as part of the Nato Baltic Air Policing Mission, responded to Russia’s violation of Estonian airspace, according to the statement.

The Russian MIG-31 fighters entered Estonian airspace in the area of Vaindloo Island, which is a small island located in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, the Estonian military said in a separate statement.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said NATO’s borders were being tested for a reason.

In a post on X, she said: “Three russian fighter jets over Tallinn is one more hard proof that #EasternSentry is long due.

“PS. Türkiye set an example 10 years ago. Some food for thought.”

In 2015, a Russian aircraft was shot down by the Turkish air force after it was claimed to have violated its airspace.

Russia’s alleged violation of Estonian airspace comes just days after a think tank warned Moscow was threatening another Nato neighbour, Finland, using the same “playbook” as it used in Ukraine.

“High-ranking Kremlin officials have increased threats against Finland in recent weeks, including by using language that mirrors the Kremlin’s false justifications for its invasions of Ukraine,” the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said in an analysis published on Thursday.

“ISW continues to assess that the playbook Russia is currently using to threaten NATO mirrors the playbook Russia previously used to set informational conditions justifying its aggression against Ukraine.”

Europe’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the “violation of Estonia’s airspace by Russian military aircraft is an extremely dangerous provocation”.

She added that the EU “stands in full solidarity with Estonia”, and said: “We will continue to support our member states in strengthening their defences with European resources.”

“Putin is testing the West’s resolve. We must not show weakness.”

Ukrainian drones overnight slammed into an energy facility in Samara, southwestern Russia, according to the local governor and Ukraine’s General Staff.

Ukraine on Saturday claimed its drones struck the Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, a major producer of jet fuel that is operated by Russian oil major Rosneft. It said the strike resulted in explosions and a fire, Reuters are reporting.

Samara’s regional governor, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said unspecified fuel and energy facilities were targeted. He later reported that four people had died in the attack.

Ukraine’s General Staff also said a second Russian oil refinery was hit overnight, in the Saratov region directly south of Samara. A representative of Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, said flights were briefly grounded overnight at Saratov and Samara airports, among other regional flight hubs.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday said the military intercepted 149 Ukrainian drones overnight.

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Ukraine and its partners have laid the groundwork for long-term security guarantees and that he hopes to gauge how close they are to finalizing such commitments during next week’s meetings in New York.

He said European nations are prepared to move forward with a framework if the United States remains closely engaged. He noted that discussions have taken place at multiple levels, including among military leadership and general staffs from both Europe and the US.

“I would like to receive signals for myself on how close we are to understanding that the security guarantees from all partners will be the kind we need,” Mr Zelensky said.

He said sanctions against Russia must remain on the table if peace efforts stall, and that he plans to press the issue in talks with Trump.

“If the war continues and there is no movement toward peace, we expect sanctions,” he said, adding that Trump is looking for strong steps from Europe.

Frozen Russian assets could be used to fund billions of pounds worth of Ukraine’s war effort, Rachel Reeves will announce.

The chancellor will say it is the “right to explore all options to support Ukraine”, at a meeting with her European counterparts in Copenhagen on Saturday.

It comes after Russia provoked global outrage when its jets flew into Estonian airspace on Friday.

The Independent’s Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin with the full report:

We’re getting more detail through on Russia’s huge overnight air attack on Ukraine overnight.

At least 30 people were wounded in the attack in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region, local governor Serhii Lysak said. Several high-rise buildings and homes were damaged in the eastern city of Dnipro.

In the Kyiv region, local authorities said there were strikes in the areas of Bucha, Boryspil and Obukhiv. A home and cars were damaged. In the western region of Lviv, Gov. Maxim Kozytsky said two cruise missiles were shot down.

Russia launched 619 drones and missiles, Ukraine’s Air Force said this morning, including 579 drones, eight ballistic missiles and 32 cruise missiles were detected. Ukrainian forces shot down and neutralized 552 drones, two ballistic missiles and 29 cruise missiles.

“During the air strike, tactical aviation, in particular F-16 fighters, effectively worked on the enemy’s cruise missiles. Western weapons once again prove their effectiveness on the battlefield,” the Air Force said in a statement.

Poland’s Operational Command on Saturday said Polish and allied aircraft were deployed again overnight, due to Russian long-range airstrikes in neighboring Ukraine.

“Polish and allied aircraft are operating in our airspace, while ground-based air defence and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness,” the operational command said in a post on X.

At 5:40am local time (4:40am UK time), nearly all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.

Shortly after 5am, Polish and allied air forces ended the operation as airstrikes by the Russian Federation against Ukraine were ceased, the Polish command said, adding that the actions were “preventative and aimed at securing airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened area”.

In a post on X later, the operational command described the operation as “preventive,” and “aimed at securing the airspace in areas adjacent to the threatened zone.”

Polish jets have been deployed repeatedly in recent months to patrol the country’s airspace in connection with Russian attacks on Ukraine.

Last week, fellow Nato member Romania said it deployed two F-16 jets to intercept a drone that briefly entered its airspace.