Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has called on NATO to prepare a strong response to the possibility of a deadly hybrid attack by Russia.
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His appeal comes as several European countries have reported incidents suspected of being linked to Russian efforts to destabilize them, while tensions have also risen in the Black Sea.
Speaking to the Financial Times, Sikorski said the likelihood of Moscow’s operations causing deaths was increasing. He said the Atlantic Alliance should begin discussing how it would respond to such an attack.
“NATO must prepare for a deadly hybrid attack. The question is what is considered an attack and what constitutes a cross-border attack. As long as we are dealing only with property damage, that is one thing, but if people start dying, then we will need to have a much more serious conversation within NATO,” the Polish minister said.
He stressed that determining the threshold beyond which Russian actions become unacceptable depends on an assessment of the situation, as there is no single, predetermined formula for every case.
Sikorski urged European countries to toughen their measures against Russia. His proposals include closing Russian consulates, restricting the movement of Moscow’s diplomats and reducing their numbers in European countries.
He also called for stricter checks on Russian citizens traveling to the European Union, including requiring them to hold biometric passports to prevent the use of false identities.
The Polish minister also proposed restricting tourist visas for Russian citizens. According to figures cited in the report, around 500,000 such visas were issued to Russian citizens last year.
Poland and Estonia have invoked Article 4 of the NATO Treaty following reported incidents involving Russian drones and fighter jets entering their airspace. The provision calls for consultations among allies when a member country considers its security, territorial integrity or political independence to be under threat.
Meanwhile, a Russian attack struck a residential building in the Kholodnohirskyi district of Kharkiv, Ukraine, overnight from Monday into Tuesday.
The city’s mayor, Igor Terekhov, said three people were killed and ten others were injured. He said the victims’ bodies were recovered from the rubble, while search and rescue operations continued throughout the night.
Strikes on urban centers and civilian facilities in Ukraine remain among the main concerns in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Another incident was reported in the Black Sea, near the Bulgarian coast, where two vessels were struck.
Bulgarian authorities received the first report of a vessel in distress at around 01:30 local time. Rescued crew members said the Ukrainian-owned vessel, which sailed under the Maltese flag, had been hit by three aerial drones.
A second vessel was struck shortly afterward and eventually sank. According to the information released, one member of its crew was rescued.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev condemned the incidents as unacceptable and said he had informed NATO. He also announced that he intended to summon the Russian ambassador to seek explanations about the developments.
