Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned parliament on Thursday, 17 September, that Russia may be preparing hybrid drone or rocket strikes against European countries that support Ukraine, including Poland. He said Moscow could portray such incidents as accidents in order to weaken allies’ willingness to respond collectively.

According to Associated Press, Tusk spoke of “a real risk” that drones or other projectiles would enter the territory of one or several eastern-flank states and even cause destruction. The official narration, he added, would be that it was an accident and that NATO had no reason to prepare a response.

He tied the assessment to intelligence from allied, Ukrainian and US services, including the CIA. The prime minister also said Russia is increasingly using jet-powered drones that fly higher and faster. Operational details — targets, dates, munitions — were not made public.

The warning should be read as a security assessment, not as independently confirmed proof of an imminent attack. Russia has not acknowledged such a plan. Tusk had for months flagged the risk of a more serious hybrid incident against a NATO state; on Thursday he became more specific.

He also announced travel to Kyiv overnight into Friday, 18 September. In the Ukrainian capital he was due to discuss with Volodymyr Zelenskyy how to defend against the newer drones and, with partners including Slovakia, further sanctions. Trips to Kyiv are usually kept quiet for security reasons.

The immediate context includes a drone incident on Sunday, 13 September, near the Polish-Ukrainian border, in the area of a train carrying European leaders. Poland, an eastern-flank state, has invested in defence and air surveillance. Warsaw’s message is that the ambiguity typical of hybrid operations must not block allied coordination — without presenting an attack as already under way.

Image: Donald Tusk and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 2024 / Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 PL. An earlier meeting, not the 17 September speech. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Poland warns Russia is planning drone or rocket strikes on NATO territory | Associated Press.