“Provocations over the Baltic Sea, GPS disruptions, sabotage operations from last year, arson attacks in various countries, diversionary actions, drone incidents, Copenhagen airport. All of this shows that Russia is moving not only toward provocations, but toward further aggression,” said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
In a recent interview with the “Financial Times,” Donald Tusk warned that Russia could attack a NATO member “within months rather than years.” At the same time, the Polish prime minister questioned the United States’ loyalty within the defense alliance.
The head of the Ministry of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, echoed the prime minister, assessing that Russia is climbing higher on the “escalation ladder.” “This is evidenced by concrete examples from the past year and recent months. Increasingly frequent violations of the airspace of individual alliance countries, not only Poland. Provocations over the Baltic Sea, GPS disruptions, sabotage operations from last year, arson attacks in various countries, diversionary actions, drone incidents, Copenhagen airport. All of this shows that Russia is moving not only toward provocations, but toward further aggression,” the defence minister said in an interview on TVN24.
“We have this precisely mapped out, how it may develop, and unfortunately it is heading in the direction where Russia’s aggressive policy, provocations, and crossing of further boundaries will continue,” he added.
If not for involvement in Ukraine…
A similar tone was struck by Paweł Łatuszka, who said in an interview on RMF FM that if the Russian army were not engaged in Ukraine, “they would have gone for the Baltic states.”
“Belarus has never been as ready for war as it is now. It has invested heavily in bases and the military,” added the deputy head of the Belarusian opposition’s United Transitional Cabinet.
What is Tusk’s government doing?
At the same time, many commentators pointed out that in the face of the anticipated threat, Poland is not undertaking intensified actions in terms of defence and public mobilization. Warnings about a potential Russian attack are widely interpreted as an attempt to divert attention from the country’s current economic problems – rising prices, economic downturn, and ineffective governance.
Recent warnings about a looming attack have emerged in the context of setting the defence budget. Deadlines for signing the first contracts under the SAFE programme are now approaching.