June 28, 2026, 11:40June 28, 2026, 11:40
The Polish leadership sees a growing risk of Russian provocations on NATO’s eastern flank. «We see the events in Ukraine and that the war is currently not going well for Russia. “This is a reason for concern that Moscow could further escalate the situation,” said the head of the Polish foreign intelligence service, Colonel Pawel Szota, to the newspaper “Rzeczpospolita”.
Poland fears attacks by Russian soldiers.Image: keystone
In his estimation, a limited attack on the Baltic states could involve the appearance of “green men” there. This term was used to describe the Russian soldiers without insignia who took control of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Intelligence chief: Russia is testing red lines
“Russia is systematically crossing red lines to test NATO’s response,” said Szota. “The costs of such provocations are low, but the alliance reacts primarily politically, which invites further escalation.”
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski similarly warned last week about possible false flag actions by the Russians. “We need to communicate to Putin that we know what he is up to and that we will not fall for it, that this is completely unacceptable and that we would defend every inch of NATO territory,” he told US broadcaster CBS.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and other members of the Moscow leadership have repeatedly stated that Russia will not attack NATO territory. The military and secret services of several NATO countries see the situation in a similar way to the Poles, although assessments of the time period and extent of possible attacks differ. (hkl/sda/dpa)