Poland strengthens security of main hub of military aid to Ukraine due to Russia's actions

Polish authorities are stepping up security around the main transit hub for foreign military aid to Ukraine over concerns about Russian-backed sabotage operations.

As Bloomberg writes, interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that the authorities are taking measures to strengthen security around Rzeszów-Jasionka airport, which handles up to 90% of Western cargo heading to the frontline in Ukraine.

"We are facing a foreign state that is conducting hostile and — in military parlance — kinetic action on Polish territory. There has never been anything like this before," he said.

Semoniak also pointed out that the recent acts of sabotage were ordered by Russia's Defence Intelligence (GRU), adding that similar methods are used throughout Europe.

He said that they usually involve the recruitment of so-called "one-time agents", such as football hooligans or organised crime groups, who are willing to carry out such actions for money.

The official called this a "very serious situation" as Russian intelligence services are now acting much more purposefully on foreign territory.

"We’re no longer talking about agents of influence or some online activities. These are individuals who are ready to come and set things on fire," Semoniak said.

Earlier, Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz made a speech in the Sejm about the security situation in the country, where he pointed to "the biggest threats to the security of the Polish state". 

Earlier in the week, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Polish security services arrested nine people who committed acts of sabotage within the country on the orders of Russian secret services. 

He also issued a decree appointing a commission to investigate Russian and Belarusian influence in Poland in 2004-2024, a body with the same name that existed under the previous Law and Justice government.