Tusk: Intelligence Shows Russia Plans Hybrid Drone Attacks on NATO Allies

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that intelligence data indicates Russian plans for hybrid attacks using drones and missiles against countries that support Ukraine, including Poland. He made the statement during a speech marking the 87th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939.

Paralyzing NATO Through Ambiguity

Tusk explained that the latest intelligence is very consistent and convincing. He warned that Russia plans to fire drones or other projectiles into the territory of one or several NATO countries on the eastern flank, causing damage while officially claiming everything was an accident. The goal, he said, is to paralyze or at least weaken NATO's resolve to invoke the relevant provisions of the treaty. Russia aims to convince member states that Article 5 is more theoretical than practical.

The prime minister specifically warned that the strategy targets the assumption that no country would want to go to war over Latvia or Lithuania if the incident is framed as an accident rather than a declaration of war.

Context

Tusk's statement came on the same day a Russian attack drone fell 4 km from the Polish border in Volyn Oblast, Ukraine. Poland scrambled jets twice that day, and airports in Lublin and Rzeszow were temporarily closed. Poland's defense minister stated the country was stepping up air force activity in response to Russian provocations.