Russia prepares military provocation on NATO territory: US warns Poland

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7 months · 11 summary articles
Russia is preparing a military provocation on NATO territory within weeks, possibly involving drones, missiles or a border incursion from Belarus or the Kaliningrad exclave, US officials have warned Poland, according to multiple reports on Friday. The alleged Russian plan is designed to test NATO’s collective response and pressure the West to curb military support for Ukraine, senior Western diplomats told Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk during a briefing in Warsaw.
Polish authorities said the government is preparing for “various” scenarios after the intelligence alert, while NATO ambassadors are expected to declare Russia a long-term threat at an emergency meeting in Brussels on Saturday. “Investing in deterrence today is far less expensive than paying for the consequences of aggression tomorrow,” Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal told EU leaders in Berlin on Friday .
The warning comes as Ukraine intensified long-range strikes deep inside Russia, hitting energy infrastructure in Crimea and the Belgorod region overnight. Ukrainian forces struck 48 targets, including ten energy facilities in occupied Crimea and an anti-aircraft missile system, the Ukrainian General Staff reported . In Belgorod, a Ukrainian missile strike killed one woman and caused power and water outages, regional officials said .
Meanwhile, Russia’s military advance in Ukraine has collapsed, with Ukrainian officials reporting 40,000 Russian troops killed in June alone, a figure that exceeds Moscow’s monthly recruitment capacity. Long-range Ukrainian strikes have also triggered panic in Russian cities, with air raid sirens sounding repeatedly and civil defence drills becoming routine .
In Kyiv, rescue workers continued to sift through rubble on Friday after Russia’s deadliest attack this year killed at least 30 civilians and wounded 91 on Thursday night. Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared a day of mourning and urged residents to stay indoors due to hazardous air pollution from fires ignited by missile strikes .
The escalating cross-border tensions have overshadowed diplomatic efforts to repair relations between Ukraine and Poland, which have reached their lowest point since Russia’s 2022 invasion. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday that Kyiv must take the next step to restore trust, adding that Ukraine should confront its wartime history to advance its EU accession bid .
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3 further sources not geolocated




