WARSAW — European leaders are warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin is actively testing NATO’s defenses by sending drones toward Poland and Lithuania, escalating a campaign of sabotage and intimidation that officials warn has become constant.
Poland sits directly on NATO’s eastern flank, bordering both Russia and its ally Belarus. For years, officials in Warsaw have cautioned that Moscow is waging an invisible war against Europe, but authorities now argue the threat has intensified and moved into the open.
Polish Deputy Minister of National Defense Cezary Tomczyk tells CBN News that every day drones, rockets and acts of sabotage impact Poland.
“Here in the center of Europe. And it’s obvious that’s Russia,” he said.
Evidence of suspected Russian operations can be found within Warsaw itself. Today, a giant concrete pad is all that remains of Marywilska 44, a massive 15-acre shopping complex that once housed more than 1,400 merchants before burning to the ground in 2024. Investigators have pointed to Russian involvement in the blaze.
“Russia, it’s not the country for peace,” Tomczyk said. “I mean, they want to — they still have war. They have ruined economy.”
While many merchants from the destroyed mall have managed to resume business, researchers have linked more than 150 acts of arson and sabotage across Europe to Russia since 2024. Polish lawmakers warn that the pressure will not ease anytime soon.
“We are preparing for a hot time,” said Polish Member of Parliament Robert Kropiwnicki.
The confrontation has also grown increasingly overt along NATO’s borders. In mid-September, a Russian drone struck and destroyed a Ukrainian train less than two miles from the Polish frontier—hitting the station just minutes after another train carrying Western dignitaries had departed. During that same week, NATO fighter jets intercepted and shot down a drone over Lithuania, one of three Baltic nations positioned on Russia’s doorstep.
Faced with mounting aerial incursions, Polish defense figures argue that the alliance must respond decisively.
“First of all, we have to shut down all of those drones,” said Marcin Ociepa, Poland’s former Deputy Minister of National Defense. “All of those drones and missiles, because we are talking about not only provocations, but also about testing our systems. So, this is the first challenge.”
Only a narrow corridor of land connects three Baltic states to the rest of NATO, leaving the region critically vulnerable to Russian disruption without Moscow ever needing to launch a ground invasion.
Known as the Suwalki Gap, the strategic border area between Poland and Lithuania serves as the sole overland link tying Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to their European allies. Security analysts and defense observers warn that Russia would not need to physically occupy the corridor to cut off the Baltic nations.
Through drone strikes and missile barrages from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and mines sabotaging regional rail lines, transit through the passage could be halted almost instantly. Rather than capturing the territory, adversaries would only need to render the highway and rail corridors too dangerous for supply convoys to navigate.
In response to these mounting risks, Warsaw has dramatically accelerated its defense buildup.
“We spent five percent GDP. I think the first percent in the NATO right now,” said Tomczyk, pointing to Poland’s defense spending surpassing that of any other alliance member as a share of its economy. “We have now 220,000 soldiers here in Poland. This alliance with the United States is crucial. I mean, it’s the most important thing when we’re talking about safety.”
That bilateral partnership received a significant boost following President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that the United States will establish a permanent military base in Poland. Polish leaders maintain they know exactly who is responsible for the recent wave of suspicious fires and drone incursions across the region. Officials believe that combining a rapidly expanding domestic military with a rock-solid alliance with Washington provides the most effective deterrent to keep Moscow from escalating further.
