Poland warns Russia may be preparing 'false flag' attack after Putin threats

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Wednesday that Russia could be preparing a false-flag operation, following President Vladimir Putin's threat of retaliation against European countries he alleged were involved in drone attacks on Russian territory.

Putin said Russia would respond if drones were launched against Russian targets from European countries.

"They understand that retaliation will follow. I think everyone understands this, or should understand it," Putin said on Tuesday.

Sikorski responded by drawing a parallel with one of the most notorious false-flag operations in European history.

"This sounds like an announcement of a provocation. I expect an attack on Russian territory under a false flag, to which Putin will then respond," Sikorski wrote on US social media platform X.

"I would remind you that in August 1939 the Abwehr staged a Polish attack on the radio station in Gleiwitz in order to create a pretext for war," he added.

The foreign minister's remarks refer to the Gleiwitz incident, a Nazi German operation in which German agents posed as Polish attackers shortly before the outbreak of WWII. The event was subsequently used by Adolf Hitler as part of the justification for the invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939.

Warsaw has repeatedly warned about the possibility of Russian sabotage, hybrid warfare and disinformation operations targeting NATO countries.

The latest exchange underscores growing fears that the confrontation between Russia and the West could intensify further as the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year.