Panic has broken out in Nato ally Poland overnight amid claims jet-powered Russian drones shot over the border from Ukraine.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, Geran-5 “missile drones” were thought to have crossed into Polish airspace – which has so far been denied by the country’s military.
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.
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“The situation is being monitored. Polish aviation is operating in the airspace of the Republic of Poland.”
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A later announcement specifically for Lublin said there was a “threat of an air attack”.
“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.
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.
More to follow…
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