Poland issues repeated air alerts in Lublin region as Russian strikes hit Ukraine

Alerts before dawn

Residents of Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodeships received the first Government Centre for Security (RCB) alerts before 6:00 on Tuesday, 3 November, citing a Russian air attack on Ukraine. Reports differ on coverage: one said the warnings reached every county in both voivodeships, while TVP Info listed specific counties, among them Lublin, Biała Podlaska, Zamość, Chełm, Rzeszów, Przemyśl and Krosno. Before 3:00 the Operational Command of the Armed Forces said it had launched the necessary forces and assets of the Polish Air Defence System after what it described as massive Russian strikes on Ukraine. It called the steps preventive, meant to protect Polish airspace with particular attention to border areas. The command added that it was tracking developments and that its subordinate units remained ready to react immediately.

Airports and the first all-clear

Shortly before 7:00 RCB sent a message that the air attack on Ukraine had ended and that there was no threat on Polish territory. The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PAŻP) said take-off and landing delays could occur at airports in the south-east of the country, specifically Lublin and Rzeszów. The all-clear did not close the day's alerts, because RCB sent further messages in the afternoon and evening.

Afternoon and evening alerts

At 14:48 RCB sent another alert to part of Lublin voivodeship, and its text ran as follows.

“The situation is being monitored. The readiness of the Polish Air Defence System has been raised. Expect further messages.”

RCB cancelled the alert at 16:07, announcing that the air attack on Ukraine had ended.

“The air attack on Ukraine has ended. There is no threat on Polish territory.”

Around 19:30 RCB sent another SMS to residents of Lublin voivodeship, the fourth alert for that region on the day according to reporting, and one of the earlier four also reached Podkarpackie. The 19:30 message covered the Włodawa, Łęczna, Świdnik, Chełm, Krasnystaw, Hrubieszów, Zamość, Tomaszów and Biłgoraj counties, along with the cities of Chełm and Zamość.

Latest reporting

The most recent article in the cluster was published shortly before 20:00 Warsaw time, and it describes the 19:30 alert as the last sent to the region that day. None of the articles reports a cancellation of that alert or any further RCB message after it.