Poland raised air defence readiness over attack on Ukraine and lifted public alert

On 9 November 2026, Poland raised the readiness of its air defences because of an air attack on Ukraine. Poland’s Government Centre for Security (RCB) sent alerts to residents in parts of Podlaskie and Lublin provinces, then lifted them at around 22:40 local time. Polish news channel Polsat News reported this, relaying the official statements.

Authorities lifted the alert after about 40 minutes

The public alerts were sent shortly after 22:00. RCB cited a Russian air attack on Ukraine as the reason for the precautionary measure. The messages were intended for mobile network users in specific areas of the two provinces, rather than across the whole of Poland.

In its message lifting the alert at around 22:40, Poland’s Government Centre for Security (RCB) said that the air attack on Ukraine had ended and there was no danger on Polish territory. Polsat News quoted the message. The public alert was then lifted.

The public alert does not show how long air defences remained at heightened readiness

The timeline shows how long the public alert lasted, but not how long military readiness remained heightened. Lifting the messages to the public does not in itself indicate when air defences returned to their normal posture.

Heightened readiness means preparing to respond, not necessarily using weapons. Neither heightened readiness nor the issuing of alerts proves that an airborne object entered Poland or that an interception took place. The announced actions combine a military precaution with public notification because of the situation in the air over neighbouring Ukraine.