Poland prepares for real Russian invasion as Tusk urgently summons ministers
Photo: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Vitalii Nosach - RBC-Ukraine)
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk convened an emergency meeting with government, military, and intelligence representatives following Russian strikes on the Yagodyn station near the Polish border, according to RMF24.
The meeting took place on September 13 at the Government Security Center. Participants included representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of National Defense, and the country's security services.
Warsaw does not rule out further escalation by Russia affecting Polish territory.
Specifically, Tusk said Russia is increasing its activity, and Poland must be prepared for a possible deterioration in the situation.
"We must realize that from today we will be operating in a significantly heightened mode. We know and can expect that the coming weeks and months will be a period of very intense actions by Russia. Unfortunately, we cannot exclude that the escalation will also cover our territory," the Polish prime minister said.
Russia is using more dangerous drones
Separately, Tusk drew attention to Russia's use of new types of unmanned vehicles. According to him, during recent attacks, Russia used more dangerous equipment, including jet drones.
"Tonight's attacks show that Russians are ready to use more dangerous equipment than ever before. I mean jet drones. Their range and accuracy are alarming," he stated.
The prime minister noted that even Ukraine, which is well-prepared to counter drones, is not able to shoot them down with 100% effectiveness.
"Therefore, we must realize that Russia has such capabilities. Therefore, I will also wait for information on how prepared we are for the possible use of drones and related attempts to disrupt our activities—whether on railways or in workplaces," Tusk added.
Strikes near Poland
Deputy Minister of Defense of Poland Cezary Tomczyk recalled that during Sunday's Russian attack on western Ukraine, 13 hits were recorded.
As is known, Russian forces struck a gas station and a passenger train at the Yagodyn station in the Volyn region, located near the Ukrainian-Polish border.
One of the Russian drones hit the locomotive of a train traveling from Kyiv to Warsaw. On board were, among others, security advisors from several EU countries, as well as former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The Polish military also reported aviation activity amid Russian strikes on Ukraine. Residents of the Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodeships received danger warnings.
Poland strengthens control
Tusk instructed services to ensure the ability to quickly verify information during crisis situations, especially messages received at night during air raid alerts.
According to him, the Polish authorities must independently confirm received data to avoid mistakes in situations requiring an immediate response.
"We do not exclude that such situations may arise here as well," the Polish prime minister emphasized.
Following Russian strikes near the Polish border, Polish President Karol Nawrocki also began receiving operational reports on the situation.
Spokesman for the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces Jacek Goriszewski stated that the threat during the Russian attack was real and close. According to him, drones hit targets only a few kilometers or tens of kilometers from the Polish border.
In Warsaw, this has led to an assessment of the country's readiness for possible new attacks and increased Russian activity near Polish territory.
