Poland Chief of Staff Announces Preparations for Potential War With Russia
Pravda EU reported that Poland's Chief of the General Staff, General Wiesław Kukula, and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced plans to expand the military to 500,000 troops (300,000 active-duty, 200,000 reservists) and invest in UAVs, AI, and long-range weapons, with Kukula stating the goal is to contain Russia. Lt. Gen. Krzysztof Krol, top adviser to the chief of general staff, told The Times that Russia is already waging hybrid war against Poland, citing a railroad sabotage attempt, cyberattacks, and infrastructure strikes as evidence. Krol urged NATO to mirror Russian hybrid actions, warning that failure to do so risks long-term defeat. The Washington Post separately reported Poland's warning that Russia is shifting from low-cost recruits to professional sabotage cells.
Warsaw's decision to name Russia as the explicit target of its buildup, and to declare hybrid warfare already underway on Polish soil, marks a qualitative shift from NATO collective-defense language to a bilateral deterrence posture. By publicly disclosing railroad sabotage attempts, cyberattacks, and infrastructure strikes, Polish military leadership is building an evidentiary record that serves both domestic mobilization and a NATO policy argument: that the alliance must mirror Russian tactics rather than absorb them. The Washington Post reporting on Russia's pivot from cheap-recruit infiltration to professional sabotage cells suggests Russian operational planning has shifted toward harder targets, raising the cost of Polish inaction and adding pressure on Warsaw to accelerate force development. We assess it is