Tusk warns of Russian hybrid strikes planned against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament on September 17 that intelligence indicates Russia is planning hybrid strikes using drones and missiles against countries that back Ukraine, including Poland. He said there is a real risk of drones or other projectiles entering the territory of one or more NATO eastern-flank states and that Moscow would likely present any such incident as accidental. Tusk framed the threat as a test of NATO's Article 5 and broader resolve to support Ukraine.
Key points
- Tusk said in parliament on September 17 that intelligence shows Russia is planning hybrid strikes using drones and missiles against countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland.
- He described the latest intelligence as "very consistent and convincing" without naming which services provided it.
- Tusk said there is a real risk that drones or other projectiles could enter the territory of one or more NATO eastern-flank countries and cause damage.
- He expects Russia to present any such incidents as accidental, to undermine NATO's ability to respond.
- Tusk said the goal would be to weaken NATO's resolve and convince members that Article 5 is theoretical rather than practical, assuming no one would want to die for Latvia or Lithuania.
- A Russian strike drone fell near the Polish border in Volyn Oblast on the afternoon of September 17, with Polish military prepared to shoot it down if it crossed into Polish airspace.
- Tusk said he will visit Ukraine on September 18.
Why it matters
Tusk is putting NATO allies on public notice of a concrete, near-term Russian hybrid threat aimed at countries backing Ukraine, with Poland singled out by name. By tying any future incident to a test of Article 5, he is reframing the security conversation around Ukraine support as a direct credibility question for the alliance. The warning lands the same day a Russian drone fell near the Polish border and a day after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov threatened Europe with a "very short" war, sharpening the sense of an escalating cycle.
What happened
On September 17, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told the Polish parliament that intelligence indicates Russia is planning hybrid strikes involving drones and missiles against countries that support Ukraine, including Poland. He described the latest intelligence as "very consistent and convincing" without identifying which services provided it. Tusk said there is a real risk that drones or other projectiles could enter the territory of one or more NATO eastern-flank countries and cause damage, and that Russia would likely portray any such incident as accidental. He argued the goal of such actions would be to paralyze NATO's resolve, undermine the alliance's integrity, and convince member states that Article 5 is more theoretical than practical, on the assumption that no one would want to die for Latvia or Lithuania. The speech marked the 87th anniversary of the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland, and Tusk announced he would travel to Ukraine on September 18. Earlier the same day, Tusk reported that a Russian strike drone fell near the Polish border in Volyn Oblast, with Polish military prepared to shoot it down if it crossed into Polish airspace. Polish Armed Forces Operational Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Jacek Goryszewski said the drone most likely fell or was shot down about 4 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border. Tusk also said Russia is widely deploying a new type of jet-powered drone that operates at high altitude and speed, and that few are prepared to counter it.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All sources in the synthesis are Ukrainian-language media. They treat Tusk's warning as a direct threat against countries backing Ukraine, with Poland presented as a named target. Coverage frames the statement in the context of the same-day Russian drone incident near the Polish border and as evidence of a broader Russian hybrid campaign against Ukraine's supporters.
Where reporting differs
Sources describe the location of the September 17 drone incident differently. Some reports say it fell near the Polish border in Volyn Oblast, while the Polish military spokesperson's account places it about 4 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border without naming Volyn Oblast.
Background
Tusk delivered the speech in the Polish parliament on September 17, marking the 87th anniversary of the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland. He announced he would visit Ukraine on September 18. The day before, on September 16, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her State of the Union address that the EU faces a growing number of hybrid threats and that Europe's readiness to respond must grow proportionally. Also on September 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Europe could face a "very short" war if it "attacks" Russia, while insisting Russia does not plan to attack European countries. Tusk had previously warned that the coming weeks and months could bring a period of "very intensive actions" by Moscow and that escalation involving Polish territory could not be ruled out.