Putin’s miscalculation: diplomat considers consequences of Russian drones in Poland
Former Polish diplomat Robert Pšel provided his perspective on recent incidents involving Russian drones penetrating Polish airspace.
According to him, Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed to sow discord and weaken unity among NATO allies and between Ukraine and Poland but ended up making a strategic mistake that might have inadvertently strengthened the alliance.
Pšel emphasized that these actions were a kind of test of resilience and preparedness of the respective countries against hybrid warfare, which Russia has been conducting for over a decade.
He urged NATO to ramp up efforts on its eastern flank by increasing combat readiness and reassessing the strategy regarding the interception of drones in Ukrainian airspace to prevent further provocations from Russia.
Pšel also highlighted that current events demonstrate that Kremlin’s policies have remained largely unchanged – a strategy of hybrid warfare and psychological manipulation that has persisted for decades.
He added that Ukraine, in the long run, should seek stronger NATO support to better secure its territories and airspace against new challenges.
Furthermore, Pšel suggests that former US President Donald Trump is increasingly realizing that Putin is misleading him, and that Russia continues to exploit opportunities to destabilize international security.