Prime Minister Donald Tusk says intelligence assessments point to a possible Russian campaign of hybrid drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned that Russia could launch hybrid drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine, with strikes potentially being presented as accidental.
Speaking in Poland’s Sejm on September 17, Tusk said intelligence assessments indicated a risk that Russian drones or missiles could enter the territory of one or more NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank and cause damage.
He said such incidents could subsequently be portrayed as accidents in an attempt to prevent NATO members from invoking the alliance’s collective defense mechanisms.
“I want to present to the public the most likely scenario for the next few months,” Tusk said, describing a situation that would require “focus, seriousness and the mental readiness to face difficult tests.”
Tusk: Poland could be among the targets
According to the Polish prime minister, intelligence assessments suggest that Russia could target countries providing support to Ukraine, including Poland.
“These possibilities have been discussed for a long time, but today this information is very consistent and, unfortunately, convincing,” Tusk said.
Tusk stressed that this was not the only possible scenario, but argued that the unpredictability of current international politics made it necessary for the public and authorities to be prepared for a range of developments.
He also suggested that attacks disguised as accidents could be intended to undermine the willingness of NATO countries to respond collectively to aggression against a member state.
Concerns rise over Russian drone activity
Tusk’s warning comes amid heightened concerns in Poland over Russian-linked drone activity.
On September 14, Polish forces recovered a Russian-origin military drone from the Baltic Sea off the country’s northern coast. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the aircraft had been found in the waters near Rusinowo, close to Jarosławiec.
Polish military prosecutors later said the drone had been carrying a live warhead, which was neutralized at the scene.
Preliminary findings identified the aircraft as a Russian Gerbera 2 drone.
The discovery has added to concerns in Poland over the potential spillover of the war in Ukraine and the security of NATO’s eastern flank.
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