Poland rushes counter-terror police to its Kaliningrad border after 'individuals with flashlights' are spotted amid fears of an armed Russian incursion
Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, whose deputy Radosław Sikorski says he now keeps an emergency evacuation backpack, rice stocks and a hand pump at home.The special operations headquarters established near Poland's border with the Kaliningrad region, as Polish police chief Marek Boroń warned the months ahead are critical for all of Europe.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk says his forces thwarted what appeared to be a Russian-orchestrated 'provocation' overnight, after border guards spotted unidentified individuals moving from Kaliningrad into Polish territory shortly after midnight. Intelligence from Polish military services and NATO allies had warned in late October that sabotage attempts — including armed group crossings — were expected in the first half of November.
Tusk warned Poland could face a prolonged 'escalation from the Russian side' as counter-terror units, military and border guards now patrol the Warmia-Masuria and Podlaskie regions.
Police chief Marek Boroń linked the operation to a broader pattern of 'hybrid criminal activities of eastern intelligence services' already targeting Poland.
A new Warmian-Masurian Brigade is also being established by end of 2026 specifically to defend the strategically vital Suwałki Gap — the narrow NATO corridor separating Kaliningrad from Belarus.
