Poland scrambles jets as Russia strikes Ukraine, killing 13

On Thursday, Russian airstrikes claimed the lives of at least 13 individuals across Ukraine, including one in Kyiv, with the assaults extending to Lviv. In response, Poland deployed fighter jets to safeguard its airspace. This overnight attack came after President Volodymyr Zelensky had cautioned about a looming large-scale offensive. Zelensky had recently returned from the U.S., where President Donald Trump consented to supply Ukraine with licenses for Patriot missiles. Air raid sirens were activated in most areas. In Kyiv, explosions were reported, and non-residential buildings caught fire, as stated by Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Emergency services confirmed one fatality and two injuries in the capital. In the Dnipropetrovsk and Poltava regions, six fatalities occurred, including two children. In Kryvyi Rih, Zelensky's hometown, two girls aged 5 and 12 were among the six killed, with eight others injured. Oleksandr Vilkul, the city's defense council head, noted that a Russian Iskander-M ballistic missile hit a large family's residence, launched from Voronezh in Russia. Vilkul also warned that the death toll may increase as debris is cleared.