Polish PM warns of possibility of more serious Russian attacks in Poland

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said the coming weeks and months will see very intense Russian activity and that more serious attacks on Polish territory cannot be ruled out.

Source: RMF24, citing Tusk at a meeting at the Government Centre for Security, as reported by European Pravda

Details: At 17:00, Tusk began a meeting at the Government Centre for Security headquarters with the interior and defence ministers and the heads of the individual services. The meeting follows Russian attacks in the immediate vicinity of Poland on the night of 12-13 September and on the morning of 13 September.

Tusk noted that "the escalation of Russia's actions is becoming a fact, and its manifestations are increasingly approaching our border".

"An attempt to paralyse border crossings is not the first such incident," the prime minister said.

"We must be aware that from today we will be operating in a significantly heightened mode. Because we know, and can also expect, that the coming weeks and months will be a period of very intense Russian activity. Unfortunately, we cannot rule out that the escalation will also affect our territory," Tusk said.

He said he hopes that the worst-case scenario would not materialise. "Unfortunately, the events that have occurred so far confirm the information we have been receiving for many months: that more serious scenarios are also possible," he added.

Tusk stressed that he does not want to give in to the tense atmosphere, but said there is no doubt that "we must be ready for a joint response if the need arises".

"The attacks this night demonstrate that the Russians are willing to use more dangerous technology than before. I mean jet-powered drones. Their range and accuracy are concerning. Of course, even Ukraine, which is very well-prepared to defend against drones, is unable to counter them 100% effectively, to put it mildly," the prime minister noted.

Deputy Defence Minister Cezary Tomczyk said that 13 strikes were recorded during Russia's drone attack on Ukraine's west on 13 September.

"So we must be aware that Russia has such capabilities. Therefore, I will also expect information on how prepared we are for the possible use of drones and related attempts to disrupt our work – whether on the railways or at businesses. I do not rule out similar situations occurring here as well," the prime minister said.

Background:

• Dariusz Sinecki, spokesperson for the Nadbużański Border Guard Unit in Poland, said that a drone hit a lorry near the Yahodyn-Dorohusk border crossing on the night of 12-13 September.
• Earlier, Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, said that the Yahodyn border crossing itself on the border with Poland had not been hit.
• Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that there had been no violation of the country's airspace.
• Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) reported that Russia had struck the locomotive of a passenger train near the border with Poland.

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