Poland Scrambles Jets as Russia Strikes Western Ukraine
Poland scrambled fighter jets overnight into Oct. 16, 2026, during Russian attacks on western Ukraine near the Polish border, Poland's armed forces said. The military said no violation of Polish airspace was recorded. Al Jazeera
The strikes hit Ukraine's Volyn region in the northwest, cutting electricity to 370,000 people. The city of Lutsk lost its electricity supply on Oct. 16 following a Russian drone attack, after Russian drones attacked Volyn Oblast on the evening of Oct. 15. Ukrainska Pravda Volyn Governor Roman Romaniuk reported two people were injured.
Ukraine's air force said Russia attacked Ukraine with 149 attack drones overnight, including 108 jet-powered drones. Air defenses neutralized 114 Russian drones during the overnight attack. RBC-Ukraine Air raid sirens sounded all night as cities and towns in western Ukraine came under jet-drone attack. RBC-Ukraine
One person was killed and many people were injured in the drone attack on western Ukraine, which also created a threat of an ammonia release. UNN
A separate drone attack on Kharkiv killed three people and injured five. In Kyiv, private power company DTEK implemented emergency power cuts on Oct. 16 due to ongoing strikes.
Russia said it shot down 644 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 94 headed for Moscow. Moscow's four airports and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport suspended operations during the overnight drone attacks. Ukrainian attacks killed two people in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine.
On Oct. 16, Bulgarian Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said Bulgaria formally asked NATO, the Western military alliance, to deploy combat aircraft and antidrone systems to bolster its defences. A hit on a commercial vessel that sank off Bulgaria's coast on Tuesday prompted Sofia to summon Russia's ambassador. Drones hit two ships off Romania's coast in the same week.
Polish F-16 fighters on duty in Lithuania have scrambled almost 20 times to check Russian aircraft flying without identification devices switched on. Polish Armed Forces
