Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has accused Moscow of orchestrating a “provocation” against his country in an incident along the northern border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, saying it involved “individuals with flashlights.”
Tusk, speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, said Polish and NATO intelligence services received information in recent weeks about possible “acts of diversion or more serious provocations” that could occur near Poland’s border with Russia sometime in early November.
“Just after midnight, I received a report from the Border Guard that troubling movement had been spotted along the Polish-Russian border — individuals with flashlights,” he said, adding that Poland “swiftly mobilized the necessary forces and assets to the area.”
Tusk did not provide further details about the incident or who the “individuals with flashlights” were suspected to have been, as well as what their intentions were.
“This tension and escalation from Russia may continue for some time,” he said.
The incident comes after Tusk warned in September that Moscow was plotting “hybrid” attacks involving drones and missiles against Ukraine’s allies.
European leaders have increasingly voiced concern that a stalled invasion of Ukraine has driven Russia toward covert acts of sabotage across the continent.
However, the Pentagon has recently urged several NATO allies to temper their public rhetoric toward Russia, sources told Reuters, cautioning that excessively alarming statements from authorities in Europe could undermine regional stability.
On Tuesday, Tusk also accused Russia of seeking to fuel “instability” in Poland by meddling in a dispute between his government and Polish President Karol Nawrocki over the country’s Constitutional Tribunal.
Poland, which plays a key logistical role in getting Western military and humanitarian aid into Ukraine, has repeatedly accused Russia of “sabotage” since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
AFP and Reuters contributed reporting.
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