Poland has issued an urgent air attack warning to residents near its border with Ukraine, telling people to seek shelter amid fears of a potential aerial threat. The country's security centre shared the warning on X on Tuesday (October 20), urging residents in parts of south-eastern Poland to find a safe place and follow instructions from emergency services.
The alert read: "ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Threat of an air attack. Find a safe place. Follow the instructions of the services. Await further announcements." Polish authorities subsequently announced that the air attack on Ukraine had ended and there was no longer a threat to Polish territory.
Precautionary measures amid Russian strikes
As a NATO member, Poland has regularly taken precautionary steps to protect its airspace during Russian attacks close to its eastern border. The warning follows a series of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine, including strikes on energy infrastructure that left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched another major assault on the country's power grid, leaving more than half a million people without power. The latest developments also come as Ukraine faces concerns over delays in Western military assistance and air defence supplies.
Accusations against the United States
Zelensky has accused the United States of delaying deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles. He told US senators that "the Pentagon is delaying the delivery of missiles" even though they had already been paid for by Ukraine's European allies.
The accusations come as Ukraine-US relations remain strained after US President Donald Trump struck a diesel deal with Moscow, eased sanctions on Russia and directly criticised Zelensky, calling for someone else to take his place.
"We've given a lot to Ukraine. They've given nothing to us. Remember that," Trump told reporters in Washington on Monday.
