Poland warns Russia seeks to exploit Ukraine tensions with sabotage operations
WARSAW, July 1 (Reuters) – Polish special services are preparing for possible Russian sabotage operations aimed at increasing tensions between Poles and Ukrainians, minister in charge of special services Tomasz Siemoniak told RMF FM Radio on Wednesday.
Relations between Poland and Ukraine deteriorated following President Karol Nawrocki’s decision to strip Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Poland’s highest state honor over a dispute over the naming of a Ukrainian army unit after rebels were accused of massacring Poles during World War II.
Russia’s information warfare against Poland has intensified in recent weeks, with trolls and bots trying to amplify disputes and influence Poland’s online space, Siemoniak said.
“Russia’s dream, the dream of Russian services, was and still is the greatest possible tension between Poland and Ukraine,” Siemoniak said.
Asked about the possibility of a Russian provocation, including an attack targeting Ukrainians in Poland, that could further inflame public sentiment, Siemoniak said such scenarios were entirely plausible.
“We observe the interest of people deployed by Russian services in various facilities that are important for Poland-Ukraine,” Siemoniak said. he said.
He added that the interest is not limited to military installations, critical infrastructure and areas providing military support to Ukraine, but also extends to aid organizations and other places linked to Polish-Ukrainian cooperation.
He said authorities were not suggesting any specific conspiracy was imminent, but that they should have anticipated Russian attempts to exploit existing tensions.
More broadly, Siemoniak said Western intelligence agencies are concerned about the risk of Russian hybrid or even kinetic attacks on Poland and the Baltic states.
“Russia has an arsenal for such actions and they are preparing them,” he said. “We must take into account various possibilities.”
(Reporting by Barbara Erling; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
