Tusk warns of Russian hybrid strikes on NATO allies, heads to Kyiv
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Russia is planning drone or missile strikes disguised as accidents against NATO allies backing Ukraine, and travelled overnight to Kyiv. Meanwhile Russia kept up heavy attacks on Ukraine while Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery and military airfield.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk told parliament that Russia is preparing hybrid strikes using drones or rockets against European countries supporting Ukraine, including Poland, while attempting to present such incidents as "accidental" to weaken Nato's resolve to defend an attacked member. He said there is a real risk of drones or other projectiles entering the territory of one or more eastern-flank states, potentially causing damage, but vowed a resolute response to any attacker.
Tusk said he travelled to Ukraine overnight, arriving in Kyiv to discuss with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy how to counter new types of drones, and to talk with partners including Slovakia about further sanctions on Russia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also said he would visit Kyiv, warning that Europe is closer than ever to a large-scale war stemming from the conflict in Ukraine.
The European Commission announced it will disburse €3.3bn to Ukraine on Friday to purchase missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. Tusk said Russia is not prepared for peace talks short of Ukraine's total capitulation and believes this winter will be critical for Ukraine. He noted Poland helped with energy deliveries last winter after strikes on Ukraine's infrastructure, but destruction of border crossings could make similar help harder this year.
On Thursday, a drone struck a petrol station near Ukraine's border with Poland, while a jet-powered drone approached Polish airspace and exploded roughly 4km from the border, prompting Polish air defences to activate and temporary suspension of flights at Lublin and Rzeszow airports. Russian missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and the surrounding region injured at least 19 people, including children, while seven people were hurt in Odesa, where a residential building was destroyed.
Ukraine struck an oil refinery in Yaroslavl and a military airfield in Russia's Rostov region, damaging several aircraft and helicopters. A Russian drone also hit a Tanzania-flagged civilian vessel in the Black Sea, killing its captain. Russia additionally damaged a bridge in the Odesa region, complicating Ukraine's grain shipments to its Danube ports.
