Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday his country had foiled a potential “provocation” overnight on its border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
Tusk said he had been informed just after midnight of suspicious activity on Poland’s northern border.
“We very quickly mobilized the necessary security forces and means on site, and we successfully prevented any attempted acts of provocation, if that was the intention. Of course, we will never be able to completely confirm that,” Tusk said.
Tusk said the incident followed weeks of warnings from Polish and allied intelligence that “acts of diversion or more serious provocation” could target the European Union and NATO member’s border with Russia, including “the intrusion of armed individuals into Polish territory”.
Tusk warned that Poland could face a prolonged “escalation from the Russian side”, and called for heightened vigilance against sabotage operations or other threats.
Poland, which sits on the eastern flank of the EU and NATO, has repeatedly accused Russia of “sabotage” since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Warsaw plays a key logistical role in getting Western military and humanitarian aid into Ukraine.
In September, Tusk warned that Russia’s war plans included “hybrid” attacks with drones and missiles against Ukraine’s allies.
