Emergency alert issued in Poland over Russian drones as locals 'hear explosions' and Nato jets scramble

The rapid drones can fly at more than 300mph, significantly faster than traditional models and far quicker than the top speed of Ukrainian interceptors.

The Polish Government issued an emergency alert just before 2am BST urging locals to follow orders in Lublin and Podkarpackie, the two regions that border Ukraine.

"ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Russian air attack in Ukrainian territory," it said.

"The situation is being monitored. Polish aviation is operating in the airspace of the Republic of Poland."

One announcement specifically for Lublin said there was a "threat of an air attack", which was later stood down.

"Proceed to a safe place. Follow the instructions of local services. Await further announcements," it added.

On social media, locals said sirens were sounding and that they were told to take shelter.

Multiple people said they had heard explosions in the early morning - though others claimed these may have been the sonic booms of jet fighters sent to respond to the threat.

One said they had heard "a thunderclap so loud it shook the house", while several others claimed to have heard a blast in Chelm, in the country's far east.

Though in criticism similar to that of Britain's own emergency alerts, locals also complained on social media that they had only received the alert text after sirens had stopped sounding.

But the Polish armed forces confirmed military operations had started in the country.

"Due to the activity of the Russian Federation's jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles conducting strikes on Ukrainian territory, military aviation operations have commenced in Polish airspace," their social media account said.

On Saturday, Russian drones started attacking civilian targets like trains, petrol stations and warehouses in western Ukraine, just a few dozen miles from the Polish border.

More than 800 Geran-2 traditional drones and Geran-4 jet drones were launched - primarily at petrol stations and railways in the country's far west.

In July, the US was thought to have warned that Russia was planning an armed "provocation" on Polish soil to test Nato’s resolve.

But since this time last year, Vladimir Putin's drones have been violating Poland's airspace.

In September 2025, Russian drones were shot down over the country.

Nato scrambled its fighter jets after a tip-off by the Ukrainian Air Force that Shahed "suicide drones" were inside its airspace.

This July, Nato fighter jets were scrambled once again amid fears Russian missiles entered the bloc's airspace amid a "massive" attack on Ukraine.

While in nearby Romania this May, multiple people were injured after a Russian drone smashed into a block of flats.

The civilian death toll has risen sharply in Ukraine over the past two months amid increased Russian attacks on power plants and other infrastructure.

Ukraine has managed to hit energy facilities and warehouses in distant parts of Russia, and both sides have targeted each other's shipping.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had deployed nearly 500 drones against Ukrainian targets since early on Saturday morning.

"Basically, the Russians have expanded the war away from the front, where they have no success, into the economy, and their tactics are as basic as it gets: destroying every site that could help people cope with the conditions of war," he said.

"Russia wants to kill the Ukrainian economy and break our resistance."