Russia also attacked military bases in central and eastern Ukraine, according to the Defense Ministry quoted in Russian media.
It claimed to have targeted Ukrainian defense and energy infrastructure in response to recent attacks on Russian power plants stretching from Moscow to the Black Sea.
The attack prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to make a rare concession that his country was facing a fuel shortage.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Zelensky cut short a visit to Dublin after he said new intelligence had emerged that Moscow was planning to attack Ukraine.
“I urge our people to be especially careful and protect themselves, their children and their families,” he said.
He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has been preparing a large-scale attack on Ukraine for a long time.”
Poland also activated fighter jets to protect its airspace, describing it as a “precautionary” measure. There are no reports of attacks on Polish territory.
“These measures are of a preventive nature and are aimed at securing and protecting the airspace, especially in areas adjacent to the threatened areas,” the Polish military wrote to X., external
Poland is a member of NATO and has signed Article 5 of the military alliance, which states that “an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against all NATO members.”
Russian forces recently advanced into the city of Kostiantinivka, one of the last key strongholds in eastern Ukraine. If Moscow secures the city, it will become a gateway to the entire Donbas region.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian commanders say they have recaptured more territory than they lost this year, disrupting Moscow’s vital supply lines between the Russian border and occupied Crimea.
Otherwise the war remained stagnant for months with the armies of both sides largely entrenched in their positions.
Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine’s territory, most of which was captured in the first months of a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
