Poland has deployed police counterterrorism units along its border with Russia amid intelligence warnings of possible sabotage in the coming days, as European governments step up preparations for a more volatile security environment on Nato’s eastern flank.
The operation, involving police, military personnel, border guards and intelligence services, covers the northeastern regions of Warmian-Masurian and Podlaskie, according to national police chief Marek Boroń.
Speaking to Polish broadcaster RMF FM, Boroń said a special command centre had been established at national police headquarters, with additional officers drafted in from several regions.
The heightened alert follows warnings from Polish military intelligence and allied agencies that sabotage operations could take place near the Russian border. Possible scenarios reportedly include incursions by armed groups.
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Boroń said the deployment was designed to protect local residents and critical infrastructure against sabotage and the activities of foreign intelligence services. He rejected suggestions that the operation was connected to Poland’s domestic political crisis over the composition of its Constitutional Tribunal.
The security measures place renewed focus on the vulnerabilities of Nato’s eastern frontier. Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, a heavily militarised territory on the Baltic Sea, borders Poland and Lithuania, while the Podlaskie region also lies alongside Belarus.
Concerns have been heightened by a series of airspace incidents in the region. On November 1, an unidentified object entered Latvian airspace, triggering an air-raid warning and the deployment of an interceptor drone before authorities declared the danger had passed.
The developments come as European governments prepare for a possible postwar security arrangement in Ukraine, with military planners seeking to deter further Russian aggression without committing forces to an offensive role.
The Multinational Force Ukraine (MNF-U), the military component of the Coalition of the Willing, was declared ready to operate in July. Western officials have said it could deploy to Ukraine within about a month of a peace agreement being reached.
The force is expected to support the rebuilding of Ukraine’s armed forces through training, equipment and logistical assistance. Lieutenant General Tom Bateman, its commander, said its principal task would be to regenerate Ukraine’s military capability.
“The MNF-U will provide logistics, equipment and training expertise to help accelerate the regeneration and reconstitution of Ukraine’s armed forces,” he said. “MNF-U personnel will also train alongside the armed forces of Ukraine to strengthen interoperability and enhance operational capability.”
The arrangement is intended to offer benefits to European forces as well as Ukraine. A Western official highlighted Kyiv’s “enormous experience” of modern warfare, describing the exchange as having a “reciprocal benefit”.
Bateman said the force must be prepared to act if a peace deal is secured, but stressed that it would not serve as a peacekeeping or ceasefire-monitoring mission and was not designed for offensive operations.
“Its purpose is to provide reassurance and support the regeneration of Ukraine’s armed forces, strengthening their ability to deter and, if necessary, defend against future Russian aggression,” he said.
Some 2,800 European troops are also due to take part in a major exercise in Poland later this month, rehearsing how allied forces could help secure peace in Ukraine. British troops would be permitted to return fire if attacked during a future deployment, Western officials have suggested.
For Warsaw, the immediate priority is protecting its territory against potential covert operations. But the wider preparations reflect a growing recognition among European capitals that any settlement in Ukraine will not necessarily end the security threat posed by Moscow.
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