NATO jets scrambled after Putin launches long-range airstrikes amid rising WW3 fears

NATO fighter jets were scrambled overnight as Russia launched a mass drone and missile attack on Ukraine. Local authorities said at least eight people — including two children — were killed and 45 were wounded in Kyiv, with the death toll expected to rise.

Warsaw confirmed Polish and allied fighter jets were scrambled as a precaution after the attack early on Thursday, with ground-based air defences and radar systems also placed on maximum readiness. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia "chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table". “We expect a response from everyone in the world who has called for peace but now more often stays silent rather than taking principled positions," he said in a post on X.

The head of Kyiv's city administration said Russia launched decoy drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, hitting at least 20 locations across seven districts.

Nearly 100 buildings were damaged, including a shopping centre in the middle of the city, and thousands of windows were shattered, Tymur Tkachenko said.

A five-story residential building in the Darnytskyi district was hit directly, while a strike in central Kyiv left a major road strewn with shattered glass.

“Everything is destroyed,” Mr Tkachenko said.

Interior minister Ihor Klymenko said among the dead were two children, citing preliminary information.

The numbers are expected to rise and rescue teams have been trying to pull people trapped underneath rubble.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said there had been a “massive attack" on the capital.

Photos showed smoke rising over the city, with the night sky illuminated following explosions from the strikes.

The attack on Thursday is the first major combined Russian mass drone and missile attack to strike Kyiv since US President Donald Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska earlier this month to discuss ending the three-year war in Ukraine.

The operational command of the Polish armed forces said Swedish Gripen fighter jets stationed in the country as part of a NATO policing mission were scrambled alongisde Polish aircraft.

The aircraft's operations concluded at around 05.30am BST.

There was "no violation" of Polish airspace, the operational command said.