(Jan 16): Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused Russia of planning to carry out “acts of air terror” against airlines worldwide as he urged European partners to join forces in countering Moscow’s alleged sabotage attempts.
Tusk didn’t elaborate on his claim. The comments add to warnings from military and intelligence agencies of an escalating Kremlin campaign of attacks aimed at destabilising the continent. Russia has repeatedly denied involvement in such efforts.
“I can only confirm this latest information — I won’t go into details — but confirm the validity of these fears, that Russia was also planning acts of air terror,” Tusk told reporters in Warsaw alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday. “And not only towards Poland, but towards airlines around the world.”
A Polish government spokesman didn’t respond to a request for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Tusk’s accusation “nothing but groundless speculation”.
Poland’s prime minister referred to a plan that would ultimately place incendiary devices on planes to North America through air cargo shipments, according to a senior government official who spoke under condition of anonymity. European and US intelligence officials warned that Russia may be behind the plot.
In August, Poland arrested four people suspected of links to a sabotage group whose activities included sending parcels containing camouflaged explosives and dangerous materials via courier companies to countries in the European Union and the UK.
Governments across Europe have been raising the alarm over the growing threat of Russia-sponsored acts of sabotage and destabilisation since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.
Incidents attributed to Moscow have escalated in the course of the last year to include arson, vandalism, the jamming of GPS signals and a foiled plot to assassinate the chief executive officer of a German arms company.
Russian intelligence targeted several European countries with sabotage attacks, often by hiring local criminals, officials previously told Bloomberg News. Its cyber and disinformation operations have long focused on the US and Europe.
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