Vladimir Putin openly defied Donald Trump by unleashing an onslaught of blistering strikes against Ukraine in the early hours of this morning
Vladimir Putin staged among the most blistering strikes of the war on Ukraine early today.
He openly defied Donald Trump and unleashed hell across the country forcing NATO to scramble fighters in Poland as a precautionary measure.
The Russian blitzkrieg followed an incursion by Putin’s MiG- 31s into Estonian airspace and the provocative buzzing by war planes of a Polish drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.
READ MORE: Putin’s chilling plan for Europe revealed after ‘unprecedented’ Estonia incidentREAD MORE: Putin says successor to be conflict-scarred veteran of botched Ukraine invasion
The overnight wanton aggression came after the Kremlin dictator mocked the world by claiming through his spokesman that he “maintains both his readiness and his desire to settle [the war] by political and diplomatic means — and he is doing a great deal towards this”.
Putin used as many as five hulking Tu-95MS strategic nuclear-capable bombers to strike targets in Ukraine, but also unleashed around 500 military drones.
A statement from NATO state Poland’s armed forces operation commander announced: “Due to the activity of the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation, which is carrying out strikes on the territory of Ukraine, Polish and allied aviation has begun operating in our airspace.”
The operational commander “has activated all available forces and means at his disposal.
“Duty fighter pairs have been scrambled, and ground-based air defence systems as well as radio-location reconnaissance have reached a state of maximum readiness”.
The move was taken due to a potential threat to border regions. Trump said the Russian military overflying of territorial waters of small NATO state Estonia could mean “big trouble”, after declaring Putin had “really let me down” over peace talks.
“Two Russian fighter jets performed a low pass over the Petrobaltic platform in the Baltic Sea,” said Poland’s border guard service. The platform’s safety zone was violated.”
Russia’s defence ministry denied its MiG- 31s en route from Karelia to Kaliningrad had violated Estonian airspace but Tallinn insisted there was a 12 minute incursion near Vaindloo Island in the Gulf of Finland.
Despite Trump’s rap, the Kremlin despot only doubled down on his aggression – hitting Ukraine overnight with around 500 drones and 20-plus missiles, according to reports.
His strikes were across Ukraine but Dnipropetrovsk was hit with one of the most massive attacks since the start of the war more than three and a half years ago.
Power and water shortages were reported in regional capital Dnipro, where several high rise residential buildings were hit. Choking black smoke covered the city in the early morning. Initial reports said one person was killed and 26 wounded.
Russian sources claimed the Yuzhmash and Polimermash defence-linked plants had been hit. Mykolaiv was hit with Iskander ballistic missiles and Shahed-type drones in the overnight carnage.
Cars were set ablaze in Kyiv with the second attack in three days on Bucha, a district where earlier in the war hundreds were tortured, raped, and executed by Putin’s forces. Pavlohrad was hit with cluster ballistic missiles. Cruise missiles Kh-101 have already reached the western Ivano-Frankivsk and Lviv regions. Iskander ballistic missiles were also used, and Odesa region was also hit.
One person died, and eight were injured, in Russian attacks on Chernihiv region in the past day. Ukraine hit back with targeted drone strikes on Russian energy facilities. The Saratov Oil Refinery – used for supplying Putin’s bombers – was hit, triggering a fireball explosion and inferno. Locals reported up to 16 explosions.
“It’s just burning terribly,” said one local. A fire was also raging at Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery in Samara region after a Ukrainian strike.
Air defence forces in Rostov region faced a “massive air attack”, while Volgograd was also hit as Ukraine sought to make Russia pay for Putin’s relentless strikes.
Around a quarter of Russia’s oil production has been wiped out by recent Ukrainian attacks. This has disrupted exports – used to fund Putin’s war. It has also led to petrol queues at filling stations and sharply rising prices.
Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had been hit with 580 drones and 40 cruise and ballistic missiles overnight, killing at least three and injuring dozens.
“In Dnipro, a direct hit by a missile with cluster munitions was recorded on a multi-story building,” he said.
“Each such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to intimidate civilians and destroy our infrastructure.
“That is why a strong international response is needed. Ukraine has proven it can defend itself and Europe, but for a reliable shield, we must act together: strengthen air defence, increase arms supplies, expand sanctions against the Russian military machine and the sectors that finance it. Every restriction on Russia saves lives.”