WARSAW — Polish special services are on alert for possible Russian sabotage efforts aimed at stoking conflict between Poland and Ukraine, according to the minister responsible for overseeing those services, Tomasz Siemoniak, who spoke to RMF FM Radio on Wednesday.
The relationship between Poland and Ukraine has grown strained following a decision by Polish President Karol Nawrocki to revoke Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Poland’s top state honor. The move stemmed from a dispute over Ukraine naming a military unit after insurgents held responsible for the killing of Polish civilians during World War Two.
Siemoniak noted that Russian disinformation campaigns targeting Poland have picked up significantly in recent weeks, with automated accounts and paid trolls working to amplify disagreements and shape public opinion online.
“Russia’s dream, the dream of the Russian services, was and is the greatest possible tension between Poland and Ukraine,” Siemoniak stated.
When asked whether Russia might go as far as staging an attack on Ukrainians living in Poland to further inflame public sentiment, Siemoniak said such a scenario was entirely believable.
“We observe the interest of people who are commissioned by Russian services in various facilities which are important from the Polish-Ukrainian point of view,” he said.
Siemoniak clarified that this surveillance-like interest goes beyond military bases and critical infrastructure. It also extends to humanitarian aid organizations and other locations tied to cooperation between the two nations.
He stressed that no specific plot has been identified as imminent, but that Polish authorities must stay ahead of any Russian attempt to take advantage of the current friction between the two neighboring countries.
On a broader level, Siemoniak said intelligence agencies across the Western alliance are worried about the threat of Russian hybrid attacks — and potentially even direct physical strikes — against Poland and the Baltic states.
“Russia has an arsenal of such actions and… they are preparing them,” he said. “We have to take into account various possibilities.”
