Poland has warned that Russia’s intensifying military campaign against Ukraine could increasingly threaten NATO territory, after a series of drone strikes near the Ukrainian-Polish border raised fresh concerns about the conflict spilling beyond Ukraine.
Polish Deputy Defence Minister, Cezary Tomczyk described Sunday’s drone strikes as a serious escalation by Russia, warning that the conflict could increasingly spill beyond Ukraine’s borders and affect other European countries.
Speaking to a news agency today, Tomczyk said that any spillover could involve sabotage, a sharp intensification of hybrid warfare “on a scale that we have not seen before,” or other hostile actions along NATO’s borders.
The warnings come as Russia intensifies its aerial campaign against Ukraine, using ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones to penetrate Ukrainian air defences. Polish officials are increasingly concerned that attacks close to the border could create direct security risks for Poland and other NATO members.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Russia appeared prepared to intensify its campaign against Ukraine’s borders with European countries, warning that the escalation could eventually affect Polish territory. “These coming weeks and months will be a time of very intensified actions on the Russian side, and unfortunately we cannot rule out that this escalation will also affect our territory,” Tusk said following a government security briefing in Warsaw.
Polish officials said that intelligence assessments, including information from a CIA briefing the previous week, indicated that Russia could target border points and increase sabotage activities inside European countries as part of an effort to discourage Western partners from supporting Ukraine.
Tusk stated that he would consult NATO allies about preparing a possible joint response as concerns grow over the potential expansion of Russia’s campaign beyond Ukraine.
The immediate concerns followed a strike on Sunday near the Ukraine-Poland border. Ukraine’s state rail operator said a train was attacked shortly after a diplomatic delegation, which included former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt, had passed through the same station.
A second strike was reported near another border crossing between Poland and Ukraine, further raising concerns in Warsaw over the security of infrastructure and transport routes close to its territory.
Poland’s Defence Minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also said today that the Polish army had recovered what was believed to be a Russian military drone from the Baltic Sea near the coastal village of Jaroslawiec.
The developments have added to broader concerns in Poland over the possibility of Russian military or hybrid activities extending closer to NATO territory.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, meanwhile, highlighted the military capabilities of European NATO members in a social media post. He argued that if Russia were to launch an aggression against NATO, European NATO air forces, without U.S. participation, would be capable of destroying half of Russia’s oil refineries faster than Ukraine.
Peskov Responds to Border Strike, Backs Calls for Restraint
Kremlin Spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, when asked about the strike on the train near the Polish border, defended Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine, saying Russian forces were operating “across the entire territory of Ukraine and continues to do so — and will continue to do so.”
Peskov also pointed to the potential role of countries in the Global South in efforts to resolve the conflict. He said that “any country can use its influence on the Kyiv regime to encourage it to show greater flexibility.”
According to Peskov, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had each expressed a willingness to help broker a settlement during recent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin, he said, had briefed both leaders on the situation in Ukraine.
Peskov also welcomed calls for Ukraine to stop attacking Russian economic infrastructure. Responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s appeal for Kyiv to halt strikes on Russian diesel facilities, he said, “any call on the Kyiv regime to stop strikes on civilian economic infrastructure can only be welcomed.”
Trump had on Sunday urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt attacks on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, arguing that the strikes were contributing to a global shortage.
The Kremlin’s response comes as Ukraine faces mounting pressure from Russia’s intensified air campaign, while Poland and other NATO members remain increasingly concerned about the possibility of the conflict generating direct security consequences beyond Ukrainian territory.
For Warsaw, the proximity of recent strikes to its border reinforces the need for heightened vigilance. The Polish government now faces the challenge of strengthening its frontier and critical infrastructure while avoiding steps that could further widen the confrontation between Russia and NATO.
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