Russian President Vladimir Putin has set his military sights on Poland, according to a report that corroborates an earlier story in the Polish press.
The report, citing sources in Polish intelligence and people close to President Karol Nawrocki, suggests that the United States has repeatedly warned of possible drone attacks or simulated air strikes on critical infrastructure.
A worst-case scenario would involve a "hybrid attack" in a border region by Russian or Belarusian soldiers, designed to test the resolve of NATO allies.
The Polish report says the attack would not be part of a "full-scale Russian invasion" but a "limited-scale military provocation" to test the resolve of NATO allies.
Russia views Poland as a better option than the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania, or Estonia, which border Russia and could also be targeted in the attack.
The actions are a ploy to undermine Poland's sovereignty and cast NATO as a "paper tiger" unworthy of membership.
Russia has been in an ongoing conflict with its neighbor Ukraine since its invasion of the Crimean peninsula in February 2014.
In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale war with Ukraine that has been the deadliest in Europe since the Second World War.
Russia has endured an estimated 1.4 million casualties, including as many as 450,000 deaths, while Ukrainian forces likely suffered between 500,000 and 600,000 casualties, including those killed, wounded, and missing.
Early Thursday, Russian missile and drone strikes rocked Ukraine's capital Kyiv in response to attacks in recent weeks against Russia's energy infrastructure and military targets.
