A Russian lawmaker and close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested during a recent TV appearance that Moscow could target Poland next amid its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
First beginning on Putin's order in February 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is nearing its second anniversary as the fighting continues, with seemingly no end in sight. While the Ukrainian "special military operation" has reportedly not gone to plan, Russian officials have nevertheless continued to hint at similar invasions in the near future, usually suggesting former Soviet Union territories as likely targets, such as Moldova or the Balkan States.
The latest potential future target hinted at by a Russian official is Poland, which was never officially a Soviet territory, but did exist alongside it in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.
On Friday, Julia Davis, founder of the Russian Media Monitor watchdog group, shared a clip to X, formerly Twitter, from Russian state-run TV in which Aleksey Zhuravlyov made the suggestion about Poland. Zhuravlyov is a Russian lawmaker and member of the State Duma known for his nationalistic and militaristic tendencies.
"Another question is to you, guys in the West, what are you going to do about it?" Zhuravlyov asked. "They understand very well that Ukraine is finished. So what's next? Sweden is getting ready and so are the Balkans. The Poles have quieted down a bit, they probably started to realize that they are next. Of course, we have no illusions, but we understand that all of them are getting ready for the next stage of war."
Newsweek reached out to Polish officials and foreign defense experts via email for comment.
One major factor unremarked upon by Zhuravlyov is that Poland, unlike Ukraine, is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), having officially joined in 1999. As part of the intergovernmental alliance, an attack on Poland would see NATO's other members join the fray as well, as the group's Article 5 states that aggression towards one member is to be considered an attack against all. Some of the group's other 31 member nations include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
Late last month, Poland mobilized troops after an "unidentified aerial object" crossed over its border from the direction of Ukraine. This incident came during what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described as a "massive" round of missile and drone strikes carried out by Russia. A Polish defense ministry spokesperson told Newsweek at the time that a "search for the object is currently underway," and added that the Polish Operational Command is "in constant contact with the Ukrainian side."
NATO officials have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by errant Russian and Ukrainian munitions amid the ongoing war. In November 2022, a stray Ukrainian air defense missile detonated in the southern Polish village of Przewodow.
In April 2023, Polish news agencies reported that a Russian KH-55 missile—a nuclear-capable cruise missile widely used in Moscow's bombardments of Ukraine—was found in a forest close to the northern Polish city of Bydgoszcz.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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