NATO warplanes scrambled as Vladimir Putin launches new hypersonic missile

NATO warplanes were scrambled early today amid a massive Russian missile and kamikaze drone attack on Ukraine lasting more than five hours.

The Western aircraft were defending the Alliance’s eastern flank over Poland. One Russian target was Stryi with Vladimir Putin using Kinzhal – or Dagger – – hypersonic missiles, as well as Kh-101s and Iskanders, apparently attacking civilian energy facilities including Ukraine’s largest underground has facility with a 17 billion cubic metre capacity.

It is unclear that it was destroyed but it forms part of a concerted Putin strategy to make civilians suffer by hitting their energy supplies. Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv suffered 15 punishing strikes, and port Odesa was also hit. Ukraine claimed to have downed 21 incoming kamikaze drones.

An announcement from Operational Command of Warsaw’s Armed Forces said: “Polish and allied aircraft operate in the airspace, which may result in increased noise levels, especially in the southeast area of the country.

Destruction in Kharkiv after Putin’s barrage of missiles rained down upon Ukraine

“Intense long-range aviation activity of the Russian Federation is observed tonight, due to rocket strikes on objects on Ukrainian territory. All necessary procedures aimed at ensuring the safety of Polish airspace have been launched.” It is the latest case of Putin increasing attacks on western Ukraine – close to the NATO frontier. The NATO scramble came after UK ex-premier Boris Johnson demanded Ukraine be admitted to the Alliance while also calling for more military aid for the country.

“Ukraine has chosen to be a free, independent European nation oriented towards the west, towards the EU, towards NATO,” he said in Canada. “Ukraine must join NATO. That is the only logical way through this.” Fears such a move would provoke Putin must not prevent action, said Johnson, who has been one of Kyiv’s most steadfast allies in the war.

“We tried that … and look where that left us,” he said. “With the worst war in Europe for 80 years. NATO is the body that gives certainty and stability and will bring peace. But in the meantime, give those Ukrainians what they need.”

The Russian onslaught involved Tu-95MS nuclear bombers from Olenya airfield in Arctic region Murmansk. There were new attacks on electricity supplies in Kharkiv, which Putin is seeking to besiege and capture as his biggest prize of the war. At least 15 attacks hit the city causing outages and halting underground trains. Putin had targeted “critical infrastructure”, said top Ukrainian regional official Oleh Synyehubov.

‌He also continued recent attacks on Stryi in Lviv region which Russians see as a “major logistics point for the traffic of weapons and mercenaries from Poland to Ukraine”. Explosions were also heard in the Ivano-Frankivsk region in western Ukraine.

Russian claimed to have intercepted and destroyed a dozen Ukrainian drones overnight in the Kursk, Tambov, Belgorod, Bryansk, Lipetsk and Mordovia regions. It is the latest case of Putin increasing attacks on western Ukraine – close to the NATO frontier. The NATO scramble came after UK ex-premier Boris Johnson demanded Ukraine be admitted to the Alliance while also calling for more military aid for the country.