Russia May Target NATO With Drones, Then Call It an ‘Accident’: Poland
Russia could use drones or rockets to stage attacks on NATO countries and later call them accidents, Poland’s PM Donald Tusk warns.
By Pranjal Gupta
New Delhi, September 18: Russia could target NATO countries with drones or rockets and later describe the attacks as accidental in an attempt to prevent the alliance from mounting a response, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has warned.
“There is a real risk that drones or other types of projectiles will enter the territory of one or several countries on the eastern flank and even cause destruction. The official narration will be that it’s an accident and there is no reason for NATO to think about a response,” Tusk said in a speech to the Polish Parliament.
Tusk said the threat was becoming more serious as Russia increasingly used jet-powered drones, which fly faster and at higher altitudes and could therefore be harder for air-defence systems to detect before reaching their targets.
Tusk Cites Intelligence Inputs
Tusk has repeatedly warned that Russia could be preparing a more serious hybrid attack against a NATO member. He said his increasingly specific warnings were based on intelligence received from NATO, Ukrainian and US intelligence services, including the CIA.
In recent days, Tusk has also alleged that Russia was focusing on border crossings between Ukraine and its European neighbours to disrupt supply routes into Ukraine.
He said four such incidents had occurred on Poland’s border with Ukraine in the past week, while several others had taken place on Ukraine’s border with Moldova.
Tusk said Russia was currently not ready for peace talks without what he described as the “total capitulation of Ukraine”.
“They are convinced the winter will be tragically critical for Ukraine,” Tusk said.
He recalled that Poland had stepped in with deliveries last winter when Russian attacks damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Tusk warned that if border crossings were destroyed, it would be more difficult for Warsaw to provide similar assistance this winter.
“Russia’s goal is to destroy as much as possible the economy and logistics of Ukraine,” Tusk said, adding that intelligence indicated Ukraine could face attacks of “very high frequency and intensity” on six major cities in the near future.
Tusk to Visit Ukraine
Tusk announced on Thursday that he would travel to Ukraine overnight, with a visit to Kyiv scheduled for Friday.
In Kyiv, he said he would discuss with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ways to defend against new types of drones. He also said he would discuss further sanctions against Russia with regional partners, including Slovakia.
The visit comes days after a drone struck near a railway route close to the Ukraine-Poland border. A drone hit an area near Yahodyn, close to the Polish border, shortly after a diplomatic train carrying several European officials had departed. No casualties were reported.
Russia Rejects Allegations
Russia has repeatedly denied that it intends to attack NATO members and has rejected allegations that Moscow is preparing to deliberately target alliance countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said Russia has no interest in fighting NATO, while Moscow has warned that NATO countries could become targets if they directly participate in military operations against Russia.
Russian officials have also said that Western military assets and facilities used to launch attacks against Russian territory could be considered legitimate targets.
The warnings come against the backdrop of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022, and continuing tensions between Moscow and NATO countries supporting Kyiv.
