Polish airports suspend operations for second day running amid Russian drone attacks on Ukraine

Poland's Armed Forces scrambled fighter jets and issued air-raid alerts in response to jet-powered drone attacks on western Ukrainian oblasts, while two airports temporarily suspended flights.

Source: TVN24, a Polish news agency, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Residents of the Lublin and Subcarpathian voivodeships received threat alerts, while airports in Lublin and Rzeszów suspended operations.

"Due to the need to ensure freedom of action for military aviation, the airports in Lublin and Rzeszów have temporarily suspended flight operations," the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency said.

The military operation ended about an hour later and the airports resumed operations. The Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said it "deployed the necessary forces and assets at its disposal".

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that a Russian strike drone crashed near the Polish border in Ukraine's Volyn Oblast on the afternoon of 17 September.

Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said "the operational commander issued an order for prior authorisation and was ready to shoot down these objects". No violation of Polish airspace was reported.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said no border infrastructure was hit during the Russian attack.

Background:

• On 16 September, Poland scrambled fighter jets and issued an air-raid warning in several districts across two voivodeships due to an ongoing Russian air attack on Ukraine's western regions. Operations at Rzeszów and Lublin airports were halted.
• On 17 September, people in Poland were alarmed by the sound of an explosion in the central part of the country. The Polish military said the noise was caused by military fighter jets breaking the sound barrier.

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