On September 3, Poland handed a categorical protest against Russian state terrorism and the escalation of hybrid operations in Poland, Germany and another countries to the Russian Ambassador. Warsaw pointed straight to the Kremlin's actions. The safety of the state and the credibility of its deterrence are at stake for Poles.
Russian Ambassador called to the Ministry of abroad Affairs
Gieorgij Michno was summoned to the Polish Ministry of abroad Affairs on 3 September. Ministry spokesperson Maciej Wewiór reported that the ambassador had been handed a categorical protest against Russian state terrorism and increased hybrid operations. This is about actions aimed at Poland, Germany and another sovereign states.
Just naming a case matters. Russia has been utilizing methods that stay below the threshold of open war for years: sabotage, information pressure, cyber attacks and media activities. Polish services have already described the mechanics of Kremlin operations against Poland. A country that does not recognise hybrid aggression gives the opponent the initiative.
Leipzig shows the nature of the threat
The direct background of the Polish reaction is events in Germany. Berlin attributed Russia to the work for the August effort of a drone attack at Leipzig Airport. On the night of 4 to 5 August, the transport aircraft collided close the port with an unidentified object and was diverted to Hanover. Earlier, a drone with a detonator and an explosive was found on the plane close the Ukrainian plane Antonow.
Case of Russian sabotage in Leipzig concerns infrastructure applicable to the full region. Airports, arms plants, power grids and transport hubs are not a distant abstraction. Supply, business work and the state's ability to act in a crisis depend on their protection. This is simply a real stake for the safety and wallets of Poles.
Poland has rightly shown solidarity with Germany as an ally. This does not mean giving up their own disputes with Berlin or uncritical submission to German politics. In view of the Russian diversion, however, the interest of the countries of the region is clear: the perpetrator is to encounter a common, costly response.
The protest must continue
A note or diplomatic conversation is simply a signal, not a shield. The protest should be followed by action by the services, protection of critical infrastructure, fast exchange of information with allies and effective prosecution of performers of diversion acts. Poland besides needs its own expertise. Without them, it remains dependent on another people’s arrangements and political will.
The work must not be diluted. The criticism concerns the politics of the Russian state and its apparatus, not the Russians as a nation. State hardness is measured by precision: it is essential to identify perpetrators on the basis of evidence, to safe the country and to impose real costs on centres conducting hostile operations.
Russia can test the resilience of all NATO, starting with actions that are easy presented as a single incident. Therefore, a Polish protest is needed but cannot close the case. Sovereignty requires your own strength, efficient institutions and willingness to respond. The Kremlin understands the consequences first.
Source: WP News
Source: WP News
