Poland Bolsters Border Security After Russian Drone Strikes Near Ukraine Frontier

Poland has announced it will strengthen security along its border with Ukraine following a series of Russian drone strikes that landed close to Polish territory. The move comes amid warnings from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Moscow appears ready to escalate its campaign against Ukraine's borders with European countries.

Speaking after a government security briefing in Warsaw on Sunday, Tusk said the coming weeks and months would see "very intensified actions on the Russian side" and that Poland could not rule out the possibility of escalation affecting its own territory. He had issued a similar warning the previous Thursday.

The strikes on Sunday included an attack on a train near the Ukraine-Poland border, which occurred minutes after a diplomatic delegation that included former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt had passed through the same station, according to Ukraine's state rail operator. A second strike hit near a separate border crossing point between the two countries.

Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk described the strikes as a serious escalation by Russia. He said any spillover into European countries could take the form of sabotage, a sharp intensification of hybrid warfare "on a scale that we have not seen before," or other actions along NATO's borders.

On Monday, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the Polish army had recovered what is believed to be a Russian military drone from the Baltic Sea near the coastal village of Jaroslawiec.

Polish officials cited intelligence reports, including a CIA briefing last week, suggesting Russia is likely to attack border points and intensify sabotage inside European countries to discourage partners from supporting Ukraine. Tusk said he would consult NATO allies on preparing a potential joint response.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski highlighted the alliance's military advantage in a social media post, stating that in the event of Russian aggression against NATO, European NATO air forces, without U.S. participation, would be capable of destroying half of Russia's oil refineries faster than Ukraine.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the drone attacks near Poland's border were "clearly meant to scare Western countries from supporting Ukraine." She added, "We should show that we are there for Ukraine and we are not scared."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about the strike on the train near the Polish border, said Russian forces were operating "across the entire territory of Ukraine and continues to do so — and will continue to do so." Peskov also noted the potential role of Global South nations in a settlement, saying "any country can use its influence on the Kyiv regime to encourage it to show greater flexibility."

He said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had each expressed willingness to help broker a settlement during recent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who briefed them on the situation in Ukraine.

Peskov also responded to U.S. President Donald Trump's call for Ukraine to halt strikes on Russian diesel fuel facilities, saying "any call on the Kyiv regime to stop strikes on civilian economic infrastructure can only be welcomed." Trump on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop attacks on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the strikes are causing a global shortage. He spoke after diesel prices in the U.S. hit a record on Friday, soaring past an average of $6 per gallon.