NATO fighters scrambled in Poland as Russia bombards Ukraine
LONDON — NATO warplanes have been taken off and air defense systems put on alert in Poland in response to the latest nighttime Russian drone and missile strikes in Ukraine, the Armed Forces Operational Command in Warsaw said in a series of social media posts.
“Combat aircraft have taken off and ground-based air defense systems as well as radar reconnaissance systems have reached a state of readiness,” the command said in a message to X.
“These actions are preventive in nature and aim to secure the airspace and its protection, particularly in areas adjacent to threatened regions,” the press release added.
The alert lasted just under four hours, after which the command said fighters and air defense systems had “resumed normal operational activities.” No violations of Polish airspace were observed, a follow-up message sent to X said.
This file photo shows a Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet during the 62nd NATO Exercise Tiger Meet at Antonio Ramirez Air Base in Gioia del Colle, Italy, October 9, 2023.
Anadolu via Getty Images
Spanish and Czech air forces were involved in the response, the command said, as were German and Dutch air defense systems.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 653 drones and 51 missiles, including 17 ballistic missiles, into the country overnight. The air force said 585 drones and 30 missiles were shot down or eliminated.
Drone and missile strikes were reported in 29 locations, the Air Force said.
The attack, which included 704 aerial weapons, was Russia’s largest nighttime bombardment since the launch of 705 munitions on the night of October 29, according to Ukrainian Air Force data analyzed by ABC News.
The largest attack of the war to date took place on the night of September 6 and involved 823 air attack vehicles. This latest night attack is only the fourth in a large-scale invasion by Russia to date, during which the number of air attack vehicles used has exceeded 700.
Rescuers work at the site of a warehouse that was hit during a night of Russian missile and drone strikes in Novi Petrivtsi, near kyiv, Ukraine, December 6, 2025.
Thomas Pierre/Reuters
Ukrainian Interior Minister Iho Klymenko said in a message posted on Telegram that 10 regions of the country had been attacked, with direct attacks on residential buildings, railways and energy infrastructure.
More than twenty houses were damaged in the kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr and Lviv regions, according to Klymenko.
At least three people were injured in the kyiv region, three more people were injured in the Dnipropetrovsk region and two people were injured in the Lviv region, Klymenko said.
In the Black Sea port city of Odessa, regional governor Oleh Kiper said an energy installation had been damaged, leading to disruptions in electricity and heating supplies. As of 9:30 a.m. local time, some 9,500 customers were without heat and 34,000 without water.
Energy infrastructure was also damaged in the Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to local authorities.
THE The International Atomic Energy Agency – the UN nuclear watchdog – said in a message to X that Ukraine The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant also temporarily lost all off-site power supply during the Russian strikes.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi “reiterates his call for military restraint to avoid a nuclear accident,” the message said.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said she had “convened an emergency coordination meeting” with the interior and energy ministers as well as the heads of state-owned energy companies and all services responsible for recovery operations.
A drone explosion lights up the sky over kyiv, Ukraine, during a Russian attack on December 6, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a message to X: “Russia continues to neglect any peace efforts and instead strikes critical civilian infrastructure, including our energy system and railways. »
“This shows that no decisions aimed at strengthening Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia can be delayed,” Sybiha added. “And especially not under the pretext of a peace process.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a social media post that energy facilities were “the main targets of these strikes.”
“Russia’s goal is to inflict suffering on millions of Ukrainians,” the president wrote. “This is exactly why additional pressure is needed. Sanctions must work, and so must our air defense, which means we must maintain our support for those defending lives.”
The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces shot down at least 121 drones overnight from Friday to Saturday morning.
Morgan Winsor of ABC News, Natalia Kushnir, Natalia Popova and Anna Sergeeva contributed to this report.
