Poland's Tusk Warns of Russian 'Hybrid' Strikes on Ukraine's Allies
Poland's PM Donald Tusk says intelligence points to planned Russian 'hybrid' drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's allies, as Warsaw scrambles jets and closes airports.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament on Thursday that intelligence agencies had warned of Russian plans to carry out "hybrid" drone and missile attacks against countries backing Ukraine, describing the intended strikes as deliberately framed to appear accidental.
According to Tusk, the purpose of such attacks would be to paralyse, or at least weaken, the willingness of NATO states to invoke the alliance's relevant provisions should aggression occur against a member. He did not identify which intelligence agencies had supplied the warning, and the Russian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tusk suggested the timing of any such actions could align with political shifts in certain European countries, where parties gaining power — or at least a strong voice — increasingly invoke peace and pacifism while effectively calling for Ukraine's total capitulation. He appeared to be alluding to the rise of more Russia-friendly parties such as France's National Rally and Germany's Alternative for Germany.
European capitals have for months suspected Moscow of involvement in a string of sabotage incidents aimed at pressuring allies, particularly Germany, over their support for Kyiv's defence against Russia's full-scale invasion. The Kremlin has consistently denied such accusations.
Earlier on Thursday, Poland scrambled military aircraft in response to a Russian attack in western Ukraine near the Polish border. Airports in Rzeszow and Lublin were temporarily shut, air raid warnings were issued in two eastern regions, and local media reported sirens sounding and schoolchildren taking shelter.
The alert followed a Russian drone strike on Sunday that hit a passenger train in Ukraine roughly two kilometres from Polish territory. Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said Poland was bolstering its airspace protection, writing on X that F-16 and helicopter activity had been increased and air defence and rapid response systems reinforced.
Tusk said he would travel to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday to discuss cooperation within the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, a grouping of European states working with Ukraine on an air defence system seen as a cheaper alternative to the US-built Patriot.