LONDON — NATO fighter jets were mobilized and air defense systems put on alert in Poland in response to Russia’s latest nighttime drone and missile attacks in Ukraine, the Armed Forces Operational Command in Warsaw said in a series of social media posts.
“Combat aircraft have been deployed and ground-based air defense systems, as well as radar reconnaissance systems, have reached a state of readiness,” the command said in a post sent to X.
“These actions are preventive in nature and aim to ensure airspace and its protection, especially in areas adjacent to threatened regions,” he added.
The alert lasted just under four hours, after which the command said the fighters and air defense systems had “returned to standard operational activities.” No violations of Polish airspace were observed, according to a follow-up post by X.
This file photo shows a Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet during the 62nd NATO Tiger Encounter Drill at Antonio Ramirez Air Base in Gioia del Colle, Italy, Oct. 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 (17 of them ballistic) into the country overnight. The air force said 585 drones and 30 missiles were shot down or suppressed.
Drone and missile hits were reported at 29 locations, the air force said.
The attack, which consisted of 704 air attack weapons, was Russia’s largest nighttime bombing raid since it dropped 705 munitions on the night of Oct. 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. The latest night attack is only the fourth in Russia’s large-scale invasion to date in which the number of air attack vehicles used exceeded 700.
First responders work at the site of a warehouse that was attacked during a night of Russian missile and drone strikes in Novi Petrivtsi, outside kyiv, Ukraine, December 6, 2025.
Tomás Pedro/Reuters
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said kyiv and Cherniev were among the areas targeted by the overnight attacks. In kyiv, at least three people were injured, the service reported on Telegram.
In the Black Sea port city of Odessa, regional governor Oleh Kiper said a power facility was damaged, causing disruptions to power and heating supplies. At 9:30 a.m. local time, some 9,500 customers were without heat and 34,000 without water.
According to authorities, damage was also caused to energy infrastructure in the Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
“Russia continues to ignore any peace efforts and instead attacks critical civilian infrastructure, including our energy and railway system,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X.
A drone explosion lights up the sky over kyiv, Ukraine, during a Russian strike on December 6, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
“This shows that no decision can be delayed to strengthen Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia,” Sybiha added. “And even less so 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 attacks.”
“Russia’s goal is to inflict suffering on millions of Ukrainians,” the president wrote. “That is exactly why additional pressure is needed. Sanctions must work, as do our air defences, which means we must maintain support for those who defend lives.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down at least 121 drones from Friday night to Saturday morning.
Morgan Winsor of ABC News, Natalia Kushnir, Natalia Popova and Anna Sergeeva contributed to this report.
