Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expects an increase in Russian attacks on Ukraine and its supporters in the coming weeks. According to intelligence reports, there may be accidental drone and missile attacks on countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland. Tusk made the statement at the Polish parliament in Warsaw, as reported by the PAP news agency.
“There is a real risk that drones or other missiles could penetrate the territory of one or more countries on NATO’s eastern flank and even cause damage,” Tusk said. The official Russian narrative will then be that it was an accident and there is no reason for a reaction from the alliance.
The Polish prime minister expressed particular concern about the growing use of jet-powered drones. These fly higher and faster than previous models and are therefore more difficult to detect by air defenses. Tusk explained that his warnings were based on data from Polish, Ukrainian, American and NATO agencies.
By all accounts, late autumn and winter are expected to bring “the most critical moment in the current Russian-Ukrainian war,” Tusk said. Earlier that morning, Russian drones attacked near the Ukrainian border crossing with Poland at Yahodyn. This set off air raid sirens on the Polish side as well; fighter jets took to the air.
The Polish Air Force Command reported that planes were back in the air this evening due to Russian drones over Ukraine. Air defenses were in operation.
The prime minister said Russia is currently focusing on attacks against border crossings between Ukraine and its European neighbors. Last week alone, there were four such incidents on the Polish-Ukrainian border. The aim is to disrupt Ukraine’s supply lines.