Polish forces responded to suspicious activity near the country’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave overnight, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday. He said the response prevented an incident, while cautioning that authorities could not establish whether the activity was intended as a provocation.
Tusk said he was alerted shortly after midnight on November 3 by border guards, who reported “disturbing movement” along the frontier. He told reporters that people carrying flashlights had been seen in the area. The authorities have not publicly identified them or confirmed that anyone crossed the border.
“We managed to prevent attempts at provocation – if that was indeed the intention,” Tusk said. He provided few details about what the people were doing or how security forces intervened. The Associated Press also reported Tusk’s account and his qualification about the suspected intent.
Preventive security operation was already underway
The overnight report came as Poland carried out a preventive security operation in the northeastern regions of Warmia-Masuria and Podlaskie. Police were working with the military, Border Guard and intelligence services, and Tusk confirmed that a special police-coordinated operation was taking place.
Poland had announced the operation on November 2, before Tusk described the border activity. Notes from Poland reported that police chief Marek Boroń described it as preventive and said reinforcements, including counter-terrorism officers, had been deployed.
Tusk said authorities had received warnings about possible sabotage or incursions by armed people during the first half of November. He also said NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Alexus Grynkewich, had raised possible escalation risks during a visit to Warsaw in October. These warnings have not established a link between the broader security operation and the people observed overnight.
Tusk has previously warned of possible hostile actions against Poland, but he said the latest incident could not be attributed with certainty. No arrests, injuries or damage were reported in the information released about the episode.
Clayton Ward