Poland closes airports, puts forces on alert after Russian strikes on Ukraine

Poland closed several airports and raised its armed forces to combat readiness overnight after Russia launched a mass strike on Ukraine, aviation notices (NOTAM) and the military said on Wednesday.

Flights were halted at Rzeszow-Jasionka, Lublin and both Warsaw airports due to unplanned military activity.

Poland’s Armed Forces Operational Command said on social media platform X it had activated all necessary airspace protection procedures. Fighter jets from Poland and other NATO states were scrambled, and air defence units were placed on high alert.

 Rzeszow-Jasionka airport in southeastern Poland is a key logistics hub for Western military aid deliveries to Ukraine.

Poland, a NATO member bordering Ukraine, has repeatedly tightened air defence since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.