The Russian-Ukraine conflict seems to spill over onto various other countries, one of these being Poland. According to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, the ongoing situation remains tense, and the war is seemingly entering a decisive phase. Russia poses a very real threat, as has been evident with the missile launches from the side of Russia which has further escalated tensions with the Western nations. The geopolitical climate is fraught with potential risks and Poland seems to try and prepare for any eventuality. With the recent happenings, it is understandable that their fears have drastically increased.
The Russian link in the whole matter
A Colombian national acting on behalf of Russian intelligence carried out two arson attacks in Poland last year, before setting fire to a bus depot in the Czech Republic, the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW) said on Tuesday. The ABW is Poland’s security as well as domestic counterintelligence agency. It is responsible for reporting, analyzing as well as preventing threats to Poland’s internal security. This includes foreign espionage, terrorism, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, organized crime, etc.
ABW said the 27-year-old suspect set fire to two construction supply depots in Poland in May 2024 on orders from the Russiansย as part of a hybrid warfare campaign. “He was trained by a person connected to Russian intelligence services … They taught him how to prepare incendiary materials, Molotov cocktails, and how to document these arson attacks,” Jacek Dobrzynski, a spokesman for the coordinator of special services, told a press conference.
Drastic consequences for Poland
Photographs and video recordings were used by Russian-language media for disinformation and propaganda purposes, ABW said. Russian media then falsely reported that one of the fires was at a logistics center in the city of Radom used to store military equipment provided by Europe as aid for Ukraine, Dobrzynski said. The city of Radom is situated in east-central Poland. It is located about 100 km south of Warsaw. it is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and then also the second largest in its province.
The Russian embassy in Warsaw, responding to a Reuters inquiry, said it does not comment on such unfounded accusations. Dobrzyลski said that following the arson attacks in Poland, the Colombian travelled to the Czech Republic, where he set fire to a bus depot. He was believed to be preparing another attack on a shopping mall when Czech authorities detained him.
The complexities of warfare
“He was sentenced to eight years in prison for acts of terrorism he committed (in the Czech Republic). In Poland … he faces up to 10 years in prison or even a life sentence,”
said Dobrzyลski, adding that the man had partially admitted guilt.
Poland has been a target of sabotage, which officials say is part of a “hybrid war” waged by Moscow to destabilize countries that support Ukraine in the war with Russia, involving tactics like arson and cyberattacks. Russia has in the past denied involvement in such attacks.
Hybrid warfare refers to the emerging simultaneous use of multiple types of warfare by sophisticated and flexible adversaries who are able to understand that successful conflict requires various forms designed to fit the goals at the time. That is how Frank Hoffman defined it in 2007. Characteristics of this type of warfare include political warfare with a blend of irregular warfare, cyberwarfare as well as conventional warfare. Other methods also include fake news, regime change, etc. The whole logic behind this type of warfare is to cause damage to a state in the most optimal manner possible. Another concern about this whole matter is the fact that it becomes increasingly difficult to determine peace and war time, making it hard to discern the war threshold.
GCN.com/Reuters.