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NATO jets were scrambled overnight as Russia carried out its largest drone attack yet on Ukraine, launching more than 700 drones, officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the “new massive Russian attack on our cities” involved “728 drones of various types, including over 300 Shaheds, and 13 missiles – Kinzhals and Iskanders.
“Most of the targets were shot down. Our interceptor drones were used — dozens of enemy targets were downed, and we are scaling up this technology. Mobile fire groups were also active – they downed dozens as well. I thank all our warriors for their precision,” he added.
Ukraine’s Air Force said the assault mainly targeted the northwestern city of Lutsk and according to preliminary data, “air defenses neutralized 718 enemy air attack vehicles, 303 were shot down by fire, 415 were lost in location.”
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Firefighters put out the fire following a Russian attack in Kyiv region, Ukraine, on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
As the attack was unfolding, the military of Poland – which borders Ukraine — said “Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation has begun operating in our airspace.”
“In accordance with applicable procedures, all available forces and resources at the disposal of the Operational Commander of the Polish Armed Forces have been activated, duty fighter pairs have been scrambled, and ground-based air defense and radar reconnaissance systems have reached the highest state of readiness,” it wrote on X. “The measures taken are aimed at ensuring security in areas bordering the threatened regions.”
It later added that “Due to the reduced level of threat from missile strikes by Russian aviation on Ukrainian territory, the operations of Polish and allied aviation in Polish airspace have been concluded, and the activated forces and resources have returned to standard operational activities.”
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Polish servicemen present F-16 fighter jets in Warsaw, Poland during a military parade on Polish Army Day on Aug. 15, 2024. The parade was to celebrate Poland’s Armed Forces Day, and its 25th year as a member of NATO. (Dominika Zarzycka/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Zelenskyy said damage also was reported in the Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, and Chernihiv regions.
“This is a telling attack – and it comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all. This is yet another proof of the need for sanctions – biting sanctions against oil, which has been fueling Moscow’s war machine with money for over three years of the war,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Russian soldiers fire from D-30 howitzer towards Ukrainian positions in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
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“Secondary sanctions on those who buy this oil and thereby sponsor killings. Our partners know how to apply pressure in a way that will force Russia to think about ending the war, not launching new strikes,” he also said. “Everyone who wants peace must act.”