Russia launched nearly 400 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine overnight Monday, prompting NATO to fly fighter jets in neighboring countries, according to reports.
The massive airstrike killed at least four people and injured more than 20, with strikes hitting multiple regions including Kiev, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv. The Associated Press reported, citing Ukrainian officials.
Poland and Romania both sent fighter jets into action as Russian attacks approached NATO airspace, East2West reported, with Warsaw putting its air defenses on “high alert,” Poland’s operational command said.
“Due to the activity of Russian long-range air forces carrying out attacks on Ukrainian territory, Polish and allied air forces have started operating in our airspace,” Poland’s operational command said, according to East2West.
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Rescue workers try to extinguish a fire in a residential building that is burning after a Russian drone strike in the Poltava region, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (East2west)
Hours earlier, two F-16 fighter jets were stationed in fellow NATO state Romania when Russian drones attacked Ukraine near the Danube River, the outlet reported. The Danube is part of the border between Ukraine and Romania.
Ukrainian military leaders said Russian forces have intensified attacks along the roughly 750-mile (1,200-kilometer) frontline, with hundreds reported in recent days.
The Institute for the Study of War said the escalation signals that Moscow’s long-awaited spring-summer offensive is now underway, according to The Associated Press.
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A residential tower burns down after a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, as flames and smoke pour from several floors. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia has launched nearly 400 drones. Ukrainian officials later said most were intercepted or disrupted, although some were able to hit their targets, according to East2West.
Russia also launched 23 cruise missiles and seven ballistic missiles at Ukraine during the night, hitting at least 10 locations across the country, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Ukrainian civilians have endured relentless barrages since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago. US-brokered talks between Moscow and Kiev over the past year have failed to bring respite, with Russia rejecting Ukraine’s offer of a ceasefire.
The latest attacks came after Ukraine hit Russia’s largest Baltic port, Primorsk, with a pinpoint attack a day earlier, leaving its main export hub in flames, East2West reported.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambassador to London, Andrey Kelin, threatened “severe” consequences for what he said was Ukraine’s use of Storm Shadow missiles, which hit and damaged a microelectronics factory in Russia’s Bryansk region this month.
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Rescue workers try to extinguish a fire in a burning residential building after a Russian drone strike in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Kateryna Klochko)
“The British, without whose participation the use of Storm Shadow missiles is simply impossible, decided to remind everyone both about Ukraine and themselves,” he said. “However, every action has consequences. And for everyone involved in the tragedy in Bryansk, the consequences will be dire.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
