Poland Scrambles Jets as Russia Strikes Near NATO Border — SkimNews
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- Poland scrambled fighter jets as Russian strikes hit western Ukraine overnight near its border; Poland's armed forces recorded no airspace violation, the latest in a string of such alerts.
- Strikes on Ukraine's Volyn region cut electricity to 370,000 people and injured two, according to Governor Roman Romaniuk; emergency power cuts were also implemented in Kyiv by private operator DTEK.
- A drone attack on Kharkiv killed three people and injured five, while strikes on an apartment block in the central city of Uman injured a similar number of civilians.
- Russia said it shot down 644 Ukrainian drones overnight — 94 of them headed for Moscow — prompting suspension of flights at Moscow's four airports and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport.
- Bulgaria formally requested NATO deploy combat aircraft and antidrone systems on its territory, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov announced, after drones struck at least seven cargo ships in Romanian and Bulgarian Black Sea waters, killing two with 25 or more still reported missing.
- Bulgaria has proposed a moratorium on attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea and expects to join a NATO antidrone initiative by the end of October, with Stoyanov planning talks with his Romanian and Turkish counterparts on coordinated action.
- The source notes growing bellicosity: Romania, Moldova, Poland and the Baltic states have all reported airspace and water intrusions since summer, and Bulgaria's PM Rumen Radev said evidence points to Russia, though his government lacks proof.
Why it matters: Bulgaria's formal NATO request — for combat aircraft and antidrone systems on its territory — is the first concrete alliance-deployment ask from a frontline Black Sea state in this escalation cycle, and it comes alongside 370,000 Ukrainians losing power in a single Volyn strike. With at least 25 seafarers still missing from drone attacks on shipping and Poland scrambling jets repeatedly, Russia is no longer just pressuring Ukraine but generating sustained military posture changes across the eastern flank.
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