NATO Ally Deploys F-16s as Russia Ramps Up Missile Attacks Nearby

Poland's armed forces deployed four F-16 fighter jets to its eastern border on Tuesday in response to Russia's increased missile attacks on Ukraine.

The move by the Polish military follows Russian bombardment of Ukraine's two largest cities—Kyiv and Kharkiv—overnight Tuesday, which killed at least five civilians and injured dozens more. Moscow unleashed its largest aerial attack of the war last week, targeting civilian and military infrastructure and killing at least 37 people.

On Tuesday morning, Poland's Operational Command said in a post to X (formerly Twitter) that "two pairs of F-16 fighters and an allied air tanker were activated" to its eastern border in response to Russia's latest round of attacks. Poland's Ministry of Defense told Newsweek on Wednesday that the aircraft included two Polish F-16s and two American jets.

A few hours later, the Polish military said that the aircraft had returned to their bases and that operations had ended "due to the reduced level of threat."

"[Poland's Armed Forces] monitors the situation on the territory of Ukraine on an ongoing basis and remains on constant readiness to ensure the safety of Polish airspace," the post continued.

Poland—a member of the NATO alliance and the European Union—has been on high alert since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Stray missiles fired from either side have occasionally wound up in Polish territory, including a Ukrainian missile that detonated in a southern Polish village in November 2022, which killed two people.

On Friday, Poland's armed forces reported that an "unidentified aerial object" crossed into its airspace during Russia's bombardment on Ukraine, resulting in Warsaw mobilizing its available forces to try to locate the object. Kremlin officials dismissed concerns raised by Polish officials, however, demanding that "hard evidence" needed to be presented that the object was launched from Russia, according to Russian state-backed outlet RIA Novosti.

Fears of the war spilling into NATO territory have risen in recent months, and Kyiv's Western allies have vowed to continue to support Ukraine's military in light of Russia's increased air attacks. President Joe Biden warned in a statement last week that letting up on aid to Ukraine, and subsequently allowing a Russian victory, increases the risk "that the United States gets pulled in directly" to the conflict.

Kusti Salm, permanent secretary of the Estonian Defense Ministry, told Newsweek in an exclusive interview last week that the NATO alliance needs Russia "ruined" to ensure peace in Eastern Europe.

"[The Kremlin] need to walk away with the understanding that international law and the rule-based world functions and that you cannot bend it as you wish," Salm said.

"This is the only way to draw a line there, so that this wouldn't happen again," he continued. "If one of those elements is not fulfilled, then in a few years we will face another crisis, and not only from Russia, because everyone is learning."

Update 1/3/24, 11:24 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information from the Polish Ministry of Defense.