Polish Prime Minister Warns of Russian Hybrid Strikes as Carpathian Eight Summit Kicks Off

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opened the first ever “Carpathian Eight” summit in the ski‑town of Bukovel, Ivano‑Frankivsk region. Seven of Ukraine’s western neighbours – Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary – gathered, with the European Union also represented, to discuss deeper security, energy and economic ties.

It was a diplomatic‑heavy day. While the meeting aimed to tighten cooperation against Moscow’s war on Ukraine, it also unfolded against the backdrop of Russia’s first wartime parliamentary election, a vote that is virtually guaranteed to cement Vladimir Putin’s grip on power.

Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk, used the occasion to sound a stark warning. He told reporters that Russian forces were preparing “hybrid” attacks – drones, rockets, even sabotage – against any European country that continues to aid Kyiv, Poland included. His tone was urgent, bordering on the personal, as he reminded listeners that “we have already seen incursions, arson and surveillance of defence sites.”

Polish, German and Danish officials have lately accused Moscow of dispatching unmanned aerial systems into NATO airspace, attempting to spy on military installations and, in one alarming report, planning a bomb‑laden drone strike on a civilian airport. The threat, they say, is not purely kinetic; it also includes cyber‑attacks, disinformation campaigns and covert sabotage.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed the concern, calling for a NATO‑style rapid‑response mechanism to deal with “gray zone” incidents that fall short of full‑scale aggression yet still jeopardise security. She argued that the EU must reach a common understanding on how to counter such moves before they spiral.

Putin, speaking at a Russian defence commission, dismissed the allegations as Western propaganda meant to justify higher defence spending. He insisted Russia harboured no hostile intent toward Europe, but warned that any hostile act – even something as seemingly minor as the seizure of Russian merchant vessels – would force Moscow to “respond in kind.”

The Kremlin’s rhetoric is not new. Last month, after the United Kingdom, France and others began detaining tankers linked to Russia’s “shadow fleet,” Putin branded the seizures as “piracy,” threatening retaliation in waters far from the original incidents.

Meanwhile, the British Foreign Office stood firm, pledging continued support for Ukraine’s defence needs and dismissing Moscow’s complaints as an attempt to distract from its “barbaric” invasion.

Financially, the EU has poured nearly $4 billion into Ukraine this year, a lifeline that Moscow perceives as a direct challenge. The Carpathian Eight leaders, in turn, vowed to coordinate on logistics, cross‑border trade and aid for local communities caught in the conflict.

In short, the summit was both a showcase of solidarity and a reminder that Europe’s security landscape is becoming increasingly complex. As hybrid threats multiply, the message from Warsaw is clear: any aggression aimed at the continent’s allies will be met with a united, and perhaps more resolute, response.