A Russian overnight attack on Ukraine has already killed 25 people and injured at least 80, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday. The military struck a residential apartment building in the western city of Ternopil, as well as energy and transport infrastructure.
Several regions are reporting power outages amid freezing temperatures.
According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched more than 470 drones and 48 missiles against Ukraine overnight. The massive offensive also affected neighbouring NATO countries.
Romanian skies disturbed by a drone
Romania sent fighter jets into the air on Wednesday after a drone violated its airspace. This happened during a Russian air strike on targets in southern Ukraine near the Romanian border. The incident was reported by the Romanian defence ministry.
Radar intercepted the drone approximately eight kilometres inside Romanian territory near the villages of Periprava and Chilia Veche in Tulcea county. Its signal later appeared intermittently for twelve minutes near villages in Galati county.
The Romanian armed forces responded to the situation by sending two Eurofighter fighter jets as part of the German air surveillance mission in Romania. The authorities also warned the inhabitants of the regions concerned and urged them to take shelter.
The defence ministry said it had not yet seen any damage or debris from the drone on Romanian territory. Thus, the incident did not cause material damage or injuries.
Romania, which is a member of both the EU and NATO, shares a border with Ukraine that is approximately 650 kilometres long. Since the start of the invasion, it has faced similar incidents on several occasions, notably during Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube.
The Poles have closed two airports
The situation was similarly tense in Poland. On Wednesday, they briefly closed the airports in Rzeszów and Lublin, sending both their own and allied fighter jets into the air as a precautionary measure because of Russian attacks on western Ukraine. Warsaw also deployed air defence systems.
Wednesday was not the first time that Russian air strikes have focused on areas close to the borders of NATO member states, raising alarms.
Poland had to deploy its own and allied air defence systems in early September in the wake of a massive Russian drone attack on western Ukraine. Two dozen drones, which probably strayed due to signal jamming, actually penetrated deep into Polish territory. It was the first time since the start of the war that Warsaw has used military assets directly in its airspace to disable the drones.
(reuters, lud)