Poland Deploys Fighter Aircraft as Russian forces Targets Ukrainian regions near Poland
Russia targeted Ukraine with missile and drone attacks overnight on Saturday night and into the early hours of Sunday, concentrating on the key western urban center of Lviv.
Ukraine's neighbour Polish authorities deployed combat aircraft to protect the safety of their national airspace, the national defense forces confirmed. NATO partner planes were similarly activated.
Regional governor local authorities reported two people were fatally injured in strikes in the region, and an additional two wounded.
In other developments, Russia once more struck Ukraine's power plants - and one was struck in an overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia, where the city official said an individual died and over seventy-three thousand residents were lacking power.
Defensive Measures
These attacks came shortly following a American representative said the US would endorse Ukrainian forces conducting long-range attacks within Russia's borders.
"Polish and allied aircraft are active in Polish skies, while land-based anti-aircraft systems and radar reconnaissance systems have been brought to the highest state of readiness," military officials announced.
At 05:10, all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts following air defense warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks.
Energy System Attacks
Russia has stepped up its attacks on the country's power grid.
The city's administration local officials reported several districts - 70 km from the border with Poland - had no power, adding that the city's air defence systems were actively involved in repelling first a UAV and then a missile strike.
As of 07:30, parts of the city were left without power and municipal transit was yet to start running, with Sadovyi stressing that it was "dangerous to go out into the streets".
In Zaporizhzhia, the nocturnal assault left "more than 73,000 consumers... without electricity", according to Ivan Fedorov.
One person was fatally wounded, and nine others hurt, Fedorov confirmed.
A 16-year-old girl was among those requiring hospital treatment, he added, releasing images depicting a damaged multi-storey block and a destroyed vehicle from the site of the attack.
Wider Consequences
Public transport in another western city, would "start running later than usual" on Sunday, its city administration announced.
The series of attacks were components of Russia's threats against the whole of Ukraine during the night.
At around early morning, Ukraine's Air Force warned all of the country was under the threat of fresh Russian missile attacks, following prolonged alert periods and warnings of drone and missile attacks.
Territorial Control
Moscow's troops have occupied the majority of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, including key eastern cities.
Russian authorities currently controls around one-fifth of Ukraine's land, including the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014.
International Context
In Russia, air defence units destroyed multiple UAVs during the night, media outlets stated on Sunday morning.
Last week, a US Special Envoy said that the US would support Ukraine conducting long-range operations inside Russian territories.
Meanwhile, a different NATO country - the Baltic nation - had to suspend flights briefly after objects were spotted.
Lithuania halted air traffic at its main Vilnius airport for several hours, before resuming operations at early morning on Sunday.
The aviation authorities stated the flight suspensions and reroutings were "due to a possible series of balloons heading toward Vilnius Airport".
