Tusk Warned Of An Escalation In Russia's Hybrid War Around Christmas

• 17.10.2026, 22:04

A "decisive moment" is expected this winter.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that there is evidence suggesting the possibility of a certain escalation of Russia’s hybrid war against Europe by Christmas.

This was reported by WP Wiadomosci.

During a briefing following the European Council summit in Brussels, Tusk was asked about remarks made by the former head of the National Security Council Jacek Sewera, who noted in an interview with Radio Zet that this winter we should expect a “decisive moment” in the hybrid war that Russia is waging against Europe.

“I don’t rely on my own predictions or intuition. What matters to me is knowledge and specific instructions on what to do and how to act—from both our own, Ukrainian, and allied intelligence services. All of this leads to one obvious conclusion: we can expect a certain escalation even before Christmas,” said the Polish prime minister.

As he noted, “Winter will be very difficult, especially regarding the borders and railways—everything on the Ukrainian side that can be used for transportation, particularly gas, oil, or food.”

“We expect, as before—only on a larger scale—attempts at sabotage or some kind of provocation in Poland. People in uniform have already been spotted in Latvia, and Lithuania is expecting some kind of serious provocation. But one thing is clear: Russia will intensify this escalation and test our reaction—that is the problem,” he said.

Recently, Polish President Karol Nawrocki accused Tusk of “stoking fear” regarding a possible Russian attack on NATO. The Polish president stated that the level of the Russian threat has not changed recently.

In response, Tusk thanked him “for his honesty.”

In September, the head of the Polish President’s Office for International Policy, Marcin Przydacz, stated that Tusk’s government is using reports of a threat from Russia to gain political advantage.