NATO forces have been forced to scramble their warplanes in Poland after Vladimir Putin unleashed nuclear-capable bombers on Ukraine.

The Russian onslaught comes after Washington flew their own B-52 bomber close to the border in a aerial show of strength.

On Monday, US and Finnish troops took to the skies less than 50 miles from the Russian border over Estonian airspace.

The event was set out as a routine training session before ending with a flyover above Tallinn to honour Estonia’s Independence Day.

Russia remained quiet over the Nato airshow before launching a further attack on Ukraine.

Russia used a set of Tu-95MS’ to cause panic in Kyiv as residents were forced to rush to the metro underground shelters for safety.

The strikes came despite Putin insisting he wanted peace with Ukraine “as soon as possible” as Moscow continue to speak with Washington over a truce deal.

Terrifying overhead explosions were heard in several Ukrainian regions including Kyiv, Zhytomyr, and Sumy and Cherkasy.

Drones were also used by Russia with several people being left wounded in the blasts. 

Warsaw’s armed forces operation command headquarters said: “Attention, due to the activity of long-range aviation of the Russian Federation, striking targets located, in particular, in the west of Ukraine, military aviation has begun to operate in the airspace of Poland.”

Ground-based air defences and radar reconnaissance systems were also “put on alert”.

The Nato action was purely a defensive move amid fears Russia was unleashing missiles close to the Polish border. 

At least two Tu-95MS bombers were reported taking off from Olenya air base in the Arctic.