Poland Warns of Russian Attacks on Border Crossings After Thwarted Threat

Poland expects Russian attacks on its border crossings with Ukraine after Polish and Ukrainian intelligence services thwarted an imminent threat to a crossing point, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during a visit to Bratislava. The details of the thwarted operation were not disclosed, but Tusk warned that Moscow is targeting trade and logistics routes to weaken Ukraine economically, making similar strikes likely on other Ukrainian border crossings.

The warning follows a Russian drone attack on the Starokozache-Tudora checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border that killed two Ukrainian citizens, injured several others and temporarily halted operations. Tusk said the threat to the Polish crossing was neutralized through bilateral intelligence cooperation. He also revealed that he had received a "quite accurate" briefing from CIA Director John Ratcliffe that aligns with warnings he has issued for months. Western media previously reported that Ratcliffe made an unannounced trip to Moscow in late August to caution the Kremlin against escalation toward the Baltic states.

Tusk urged Poland and Europe to prepare for a range of scenarios, including strikes on border infrastructure, internal sabotage and other hybrid operations along the EU's eastern flank. The border, long a conduit for trade and aid to Ukraine, is increasingly becoming a front line of confrontation, and Warsaw cautions that further attempts are only a matter of time.