🔗 Share this article Poland Activates Fighter Aircraft as Russia Strikes Western Ukraine Allied jets were activated overnight as Russian strikes targeted Ukrainian areas near Poland (file photo) Russian forces targeted Ukrainian territory with aerial assaults overnight on Saturday and into Sunday morning, focusing on the major western city of Lviv. Neighboring country Poland activated combat aircraft to ensure the security of Polish airspace, the national defense forces confirmed. NATO partner planes were also deployed. Lviv's regional head local authorities confirmed two individuals were killed in strikes in the region, and an additional two injured. Elsewhere, Russian forces once more struck Ukraine's power plants - and a facility was hit in an overnight attack on Zaporizhzhia, where the mayor reported an individual lost their life and over seventy-three thousand residents were without electricity. Defensive Measures These attacks came days after a American representative said the US would support Ukraine launching deep strikes within Russia's borders. "Polish and allied aircraft are operating in Polish skies, while land-based anti-aircraft systems and radar reconnaissance systems have been activated at maximum alert level," military officials announced. At early morning, all of Ukraine was under air raid alerts following Ukrainian Air Force warnings of Russian missile and drone attacks. Energy System Attacks Russia has stepped up its assaults against the country's power grid. Lviv's mayor Andriy Sadovyi said part of the city - 43 miles from the Polish frontier - had lost electricity, adding that the city's air defence systems were engaged heavily in repelling first a UAV and then a Russian missile attack. As of 07:30, parts of the city were left without power and municipal transit was not operational, with Sadovyi stressing that it was "unsafe to go out into the streets". In the Zaporizhzhia area, Russia's overnight attack left "more than 73,000 consumers... without power", according to regional officials. One person was killed, and nine injured, Fedorov said. A 16-year-old girl was one of those receiving medical assistance, he added, releasing images apparently showing a partly destroyed apartment building and a destroyed vehicle from the impact location. Wider Consequences Municipal transit in Ivano-Frankivsk, would "start running later than usual" on Sunday morning, its mayor announced. The series of attacks were part of Moscow's offensive against the whole of Ukraine during the night. At around early morning, Ukrainian defense officials warned the entire territory was facing danger of fresh Russian missile attacks, following hours of air raid alerts and warnings of drone and missile attacks. Territorial Control Russian forces have taken control of the majority of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, including Luhansk and Donetsk. Russian authorities currently controls around one-fifth of Ukraine's land, including the Crimea region, which it seized in 2014. International Context In Russia, air defence units destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones during the night, news agencies stated on Sunday morning. Last week, a US Special Envoy indicated that the United States would support Ukrainian forces conducting long-range operations within Russia. Meanwhile, another Nato member - Lithuania - had to suspend flights temporarily after unidentified items were detected. Lithuania halted air traffic at its largest and busiest Vilnius airport for multiple hours, before reopening it at early morning on Sunday. The aviation authorities stated the flight suspensions and reroutings were "because of a possible series of aerial objects heading toward the aviation facility".