One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close allies suggested in a recent TV appearance that the Kremlin could wage war on Poland after Ukraine.
As the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches, with no end immediately in sight, Moscow officials have continued to spread messaging that future invasions are a real possibility.
In the latest instance, lawmaker Aleksey Zhuravlyov suggested that NATO member Poland is next on Moscow’s invasion list, according to a Russian state-run TV clip posted to social media Friday by Julia Davis, founder of the Russian Media Monitor watchdog organization.
"Another question is to you, guys in the West, what are you going to do about it?" Zhuravlyov asked in the video. "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."
"Another question is to you, guys in the West, what are you going to do about it?" Zhuravlyov asked in the video. Russian Media Monitor/YouTube
Poland mobilized troops after spotting an “unidentified aerial object” that reportedly crossed over its border from the direction of Ukraine late last year, in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a “massive” round of missile and drone strikes conducted by Russia.
At the time, a Polish defense ministry spokesperson told Newsweek that a search for the object was “underway” and that the Polish Operational Command is “in constant contact with the Ukrainian side.”
Throughout the Kremlin’s almost two-year war with Ukraine, NATO officials have insistently warned of the danger posed by stray munitions from both countries.
If there is an attack on Poland, NATO’s other members would be forced into action in accordance with the group’s Article 5, which states that aggression toward one member is to be considered an attack against all.