WARSAW, Poland — On Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk made serious allegations against Russia, claiming it is planning global sabotage efforts that entail “acts of air terror” directed at airlines.
During a press conference held in Warsaw, Tusk shared the stage with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while addressing these significant concerns.
“I will not delve into specifics, but I can affirm the legitimacy of worries that Russia is orchestrating air terror activities, not just aimed at Poland but targeting airlines worldwide,” Tusk stated.
In response, the Kremlin has consistently dismissed prior assertions from the West alleging Russian involvement in sabotage and violent acts across Europe.
Security experts from Western nations have expressed suspicions regarding Russian intelligence’s involvement in a conspiracy to place incendiary devices in shipments aboard cargo planes meant for North America. This includes at least one incident last year where a package ignited at a German courier facility and another where a fire erupted in a warehouse in England.
On another note, Azerbaijan accused Russia of mistakenly downing an Azerbaijani passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan on December 25, resulting in the tragic loss of 38 lives. Following this incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to Azerbaijan’s president, referring to it as a “tragic incident,” yet he refrained from admitting any direct culpability.
The pro-European Union government in Warsaw has claimed that Russia is waging a hybrid warfare campaign against Poland and other Western nations, retaliating for their support of Ukraine during its ongoing conflict with Russia.
Officials in Warsaw have also pointed fingers at Russia and Belarus, accusing them of instigating a migration crisis along the EU’s eastern border with Belarus, ostensibly to sow discord and chaos within the European Union.
In response to these threats, Poland’s foreign minister took action last year by ordering the closure of one of the country’s three Russian consulates, citing various incidents of sabotage, including arson attacks purportedly backed by Moscow.
