Poland PM said there are “concerns” in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania due to Moscow’s plan to test Nato’s reaction to an armed provocation.
Donald Tusk said that “due to the changing nature of the war,” concerns are rising over a possible Russian provocation in the next months, especially in the Baltic.
“I don’t mean to scare anyone but the coming months may truly be critical, also due to the changing nature of the war. These concerns are particularly palpable in the Baltic states,” Mr Tusk said during a press conference this week.
“Let’s not be afraid, we are preparing for various situations, but we cannot ignore them. We are aware of the threats, also thanks to information from our allies,” he added.
The message came after the US warned Poland about the risk of a plot to attack the country’s infrastructure, which could be targeted by missiles or drones. It is understood these Russian plans are meant to test NATO’s reaction to an attack on one of its member states.
Polish media outlet Onet said Vladimir Putin may be preparing a military provocation aimed at Poland in order to undermine the country’s support for Ukraine. The same media outlet also added that the U.S. has been warning Warsaw about “new Russian plans for a conventional attack on NATO’s eastern flank, from which Poland is absolutely not excluded”.
Overnight, the Kremlin launched 74 missiles and 496 long-range drones, killing at least 30 people in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Ukraine has been targeting Russia‘s oil refineries recently, and on Saturday a drone attack struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg.
Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov, along with some of his guests, said that Russia should take back Finland, the Baltic states, and Poland, and stop “giving away territories”.