Tag: poland

The Five Most Likely Outcomes From The Russian Drone Incursion Into Poland

NATO forces directly intercepted Russian drones for the first time since the special operation began after some of them veered into Poland earlier this week, with this unprecedented incident arguably being due to NATO jamming as explained here.

Some commentators on both sides think that this might lead to World War III, but that’s a far-fetched scenario since NATO isn’t expected to kinetically respond by bombing Russia (even just Kaliningrad) and/or Belarus. The five most likely outcomes are actually that:

* The “EU Defense Line” Becomes A “Drone Wall”

The “Baltic Defense Line” and Poland’s “East Shield”, which are collectively known as the “EU Defense Line” that functions as the new Iron Curtain, might soon be outfitted with cutting-edge anti-drone capabilities as suggested by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She spoke about creating an “Eastern Flank Watch” that would also become a “drone wall”, which the Baltic States have wanted for a while, and it makes sense to expand this program in both directions to Poland and Finland.

* Poland Expands Its Military Influence In The Baltics

As the most populous and prosperous formerly communist country in Central Europe, which has already built the third-largest army in NATO, Poland could easily expand its military influence over the region on the pretext of “defending against Russia”. New President Karol Nawrocki implied over the summer that the “Three Seas Initiative” would be the means towards this end and even declared during his latest trip to Lithuania that “we are responsible for entire region of Central Europe, including the Baltic States”.

* The US Expands Its Military Presence In Poland

Poland has been asking for more US troops for years, and Trump seemed willing to satisfy this request when he said during Nawrocki’s visit last month that “We’ll put more there if they want.” That might be what he had in mind when he tweeted “Here we go!” on Wednesday. As was assessed earlier this year, “Poland Is Once Again Poised To Become The US’ Top Partner” and “Trump Is Unlikely To Pull All US Troops Out Of Central Europe Or Abandon NATO’s Article 5”, so this is within the realm of possibility.

* Poland Host Elements Of A NATO Sky Shield…

Less likely but nonetheless still possible is that Poland hosts elements of a NATO Sky Shield, whether for protecting the bloc’s eastern flank and/or extending this umbrella into Western Ukraine, the latter of which aligns with a proposed security guarantee. The 10,000 US troops in Poland might reassure it that Russia would be deterred from deliberately targeting these assets, not to mention if even more are deployed, but public opinion might keep this shield centered on Poland instead of shared with Ukraine.

* …But That’s As Far As Its Response Will Go

Regardless of whatever happens with the aforesaid scenario, Poland won’t go any further by deploying troops to Ukraine for example, which Nawrocki ruled out. Despite occasional speculation, Poland has no revanchist plans since it doesn’t want to be responsible for millions of ultra-nationalist Ukrainians, who could also wage a terrorist insurgency against its troops. It’s already exploring the lease of land and ports to recoup its aid and even profit so there’s no need to take such risks, including a hot war with Russia.

All in all, Poland is expected to avoid the trap of mission creep after last week’s incident, having already concluded some time ago that the potential benefits of escalating its involvement in the Ukrainian Conflict even further than it already has aren’t worth the risks.

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Russia Denies That It Launched Drones Into Poland

Poland said on Wednesday that NATO fighter jets shot down multiple Russian drones that entered its airspace, while Moscow is denying that its forces launched drones into the NATO country.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that a total of 19 drones entered Poland’s airspace and that a large number of them came from Belarus, which also said it destroyed drones over its territory and suggested they were off course due to electronic jamming during an exchange of strikes between Russia and Ukraine.

In response, Tusk invoked NATO’s Article 4, which states that NATO members will “consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened.”

According to CNN, Polish and Dutch jets intercepted the drones with assistance from Italian, German, and NATO’s multinational forces. Drones have previously entered Poland’s airspace, but Warsaw said this was the first time shots were fired by NATO jets to intercept them.

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Poland Triggers Article 4 After NATO Jets Engaged Russian Drones In Allied Airspace

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said his country would formally request the invocation of NATO’s Article 4 after an overnight Russian aerial attack on Ukraine saw the alleged violation of Poland’s airspace by multiple Russian drones. He called it an “act of aggression”.

Tusk cited that 19 drones breached the country’s airspace throughout the incident, resulting in some of them being shot down. NATO’s Article 4 states: “The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”

Article 4 consultations can lead to the alliance taking action if the consensus is reached. Notes from Poland says “It has previously been invoked seven times, including by Poland and seven other countries when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.”

“Triggering Article 4 launches a consultation process within NATO, which can then lead to the alliance taking action. In 2022, it resulted in NATO providing support to Ukraine and activating its own response force,” the analysis continues.

A Spokesperson for the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe has described of the overnight border breach of NATO’s ‘eastern flank’ member Poland that this was “the first time NATO aircraft had engaged potential threats in allied airspace.”

He further confirmed that German Patriots in Poland were “placed on alert and that an Italian airborne early warning aircraft and an aerial refueler from NATO’s Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet were also launched,” as cited in Newsweek.

As for Tusk, he said in his address, “We are dealing with a large-scale provocation” and that “the situation is serious, and no one doubts that we must prepare for various scenarios.”

However, this certainly isn’t the first time errant drones have crossed into Poland, but in this instance they were reported to have ‘threatened’ a Polish city some 40 miles away from the border with Ukraine. The NY Times notes:

But the apparent scale of the incursion and the joint NATO response in the early hours of Wednesday was a startling reminder of the risk that the war in Ukraine could escalate into direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. It was not yet clear whether Russia intentionally sent its drones into Poland, which would represent a clear expansion of the conflict.

Kiev has been trying to hype this threat, and it is in its interest to do so, as it has long sought to get NATO more directly involved in the war with Russia.

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Trump Ready To Place More US Troops In Poland Amid Russia Threat

  • Trump told President Karol Nawrocki the U.S. is prepared to expand its 8,000-strong military presence in Poland.
  • The meeting underscores Warsaw’s push for stronger U.S. security guarantees amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.
  • Nawrocki, a conservative close to Trump’s movement, won the election narrowly on a “Poland first” platform while pledging support for Ukraine but opposing NATO membership.

US President Donald Trump told his Polish counterpart the United States was ready to increase its military presence in the Central European nation, one of the countries on NATO’s so-called “eastern flank” warily watching Russia’s actions.

Trump welcomed conservative President Karol Nawrocki to Washington in an event highlighted by a flyover of US F-16 fighter jets honoring a Polish military pilot who had died last month in a crash.

Asked if he planned to keep US forces deployed to Poland, Trump replied in the affirmative.

“We’ll put more there if they want,” he added, while citing the United States’ “tremendous relationship” with Poland, one of the more important military and political allies of Ukraine during its war with Russia.

“We never even thought in terms of removing soldiers from Poland.”

“We’re with Poland all the way, and we’ll help Poland protect itself,” Trump added.

Warsaw has long sought an increased US military presence in Poland. The United States has based troops in Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and other European nations since the end of World War II, initially to serve as a deterrence to Soviet aggression on the Continent.

The first permanently stationed US troops arrived in Poland in March 2023. There are an estimated 8,000 US troops now garrisoned in Poland, some on a rotational basis.

Nawrocki added that it is “the first time in history” that Poland has been happy to host foreign troops.

Nawrocki, a vocal admirer of the US leader, said after the talks with Trump that the two presidents had discussed bolstering troop levels, adding that Trump had strongly guaranteed Poland’s security.

“The success of his [Nawrocki’s] special relationship with the MAGA movement and with President Trump would be if the United States increased its presence in Poland,” Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters a day earlier — a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.

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Neanderthal Workshop Reveals Advanced Tool Maintenance 70,000 Years Ago

Archaeologists in Poland have unearthed compelling evidence of sophisticated Neanderthal behavior at a 70,000-year-old workshop site in the Zwoleńka River Valley. The remarkable discovery demonstrates that these ancient humans operated specialized tool maintenance centers where they repaired and sharpened implements used for butchering massive Ice Age animals including mammoths, rhinoceroses, and horses.

The excavation, conducted jointly by the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, the University of Warsaw’s Faculty of Archaeology, and the University of Wrocław’s Institute of Archaeology, represents the most significant Neanderthal research currently underway in Poland. Dr. Witold Grużdź, project manager from the State Archaeological Museum, confirmed that radiocarbon dating places the site’s activity between 64,000 and 75,000 years ago, firmly within the Middle Paleolithic period, reports Science in Poland.

Unprecedented Preservation in Open-Air Environment

What makes this Mazovian site extraordinary is its open-air nature, where organic materials have survived for millennia. Most Neanderthal sites in Poland are concentrated in southern cave systems within the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and Lower Silesia regions. The Zwoleńka discovery marks the northernmost confirmed Neanderthal presence in the country, in an area that was largely ice-covered during their occupation.

Dr. Katarzyna Pyżewicz from the University of Warsaw emphasized the rarity of such finds:

“Neanderthal discoveries are uncommon, and whatever emerges from this region carries immense scientific value. These archaeological sites typically lie buried several meters beneath the surface, making detection extremely challenging.”

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New Search for Amber Room Launched in Poland

A promising new search for the legendary lost Amber Room has launched in Poland. The effort is reportedly being spearheaded by researcher Jan Delingowski, who has spent the last ten years investigating the curious case of the ornate gold and amber paneling that was stolen from a Russian palace by Nazi forces during World War II and then subsequently went missing as the chaotic end of the conflict unfolded. While it has long been thought that the treasure was lost somewhere in Poland, countless searches for the pilfered riches have come up maddeningly short over the years. However, there is hope that this latest hunt for the Amber Room may finally solve the case at last.

Based on a tip from a former prison inmate who claimed to have gleaned insight into the treasure’s fate by a Nazi war criminal he served alongside, Delingowski’s investigation led him to a location that once served as an SS training area in the village of Dziemiany. The researcher’s work was apparently compelling enough that Polish officials signed off on an excavation of the area, which reportedly commenced on Monday. In a testament to the seriousness of the search, Delingowski has assembled a team of experts to assist in the effort, with ground-penetrating radar being used to examine the area in the hopes of pinpointing specific spots to dig.

“The probability of discovery exists,” one of the scientists working on the project told a local media outlet, “and if something valuable is found, it could become one of the greatest archaeological sensations.” One reason for such optimism is that an early examination of the area uncovered what is described as a “brick-lined underground warehouse,” seemingly designed for valuable objects and with its entrances purposely filled with dirt long ago. An additional intriguing element to the peculiar spot is that the subterranean structure was not included on any contemporaneous Nazi maps of the training ground.

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Polish Socialist Calls For Ban On Right Wing Party ‘Before It Grows To Size We Cannot Handle’

Andrzej Rozenek, former MP for the Socialist party in Poland and deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly “Nie” Jerzy Urban, spoke about Grzegorz Braun’s party in the “Goniec Poranny” program. 

While “Nie” was known for its pointed anti-right stance and attacks on Catholicism, Braun, leader of the Confederation of the Polish Crown party, is an outspoken Catholic monarchist known for his frequent anti-Semitic and homophobic outbursts. 

Rozenek cited Poland’s constitution on the program, saying, “Article 13 of the Constitution actually requires the banning of racist parties that sow hatred.” 

According to the Article 13:

“Political parties and other organizations whose programs refer to the totalitarian methods and practices of Nazism, fascism, and communism are prohibited, as well as those whose programs or activities assume or permit racial and national hatred, the use of violence to seize power or influence state policy, or provide for the secrecy of their structures or membership.”

Asked if this meant that, in his opinion, the Confederation of the Polish Crown should be banned, he replied: “Of course. Absolutely.”

When asked if the new Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek should take action to achieve this goal.

Rozenek replied,

“Yes, Minister Żurek should begin the process of banning this party. This needs to be addressed before this ulcer grows to a size we can no longer handle.”

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6,000-Year-Old Ancient Venus Figurine Discovered in the Polish Baltic, Rewriting History

Deep in the peaceful countryside along Poland‘s Baltic shore, where the Parsęta River flows toward the ocean, a farmer unearthed a find that would rewrite northern Europe’s prehistory. In the sandy ground lay a small, beige sculpture — no more than 12 centimeters tall — given the title of the ‘Kołobrzeg Venus’, a 6,000-year-old limestone statuette.

Now celebrated as one of the most sensational archaeological discoveries in Polish history, the statuette has wide hips, prominent breasts, and absence of facial features. It recalls the ancient Venus figurine convention — female forms sculpted in the Neolithic and Paleolithic eras that have long fascinated and baffled archaeologist, reports  Muzeum Oręża Polskiego w Kołobrzegu.

The figurine was discovered in December 2022 by a farmer working the land near Kołobrzeg, a city that today is better known for its seaside resorts than its ancient past. The farmer passed the object to Waldemar Sadowski of the Parsęta Exploration and Search Group, an amateur archaeological team that collaborates with the Polish Arms Museum.

The discovery was finally shown to professional archaeologist Marcin Krzepkowski of the Relicta Foundation in 2023, who recognised its singularity at once.

“This is the find of the century,” said Aleksander Ostasz, director of the Polish Arms Museum in Kołobrzeg, in an interview with National Geographic. “It absolutely pushes the boundaries of our history of Kołobrzeg.”

Radiocarbon testing established that the figurine is Neolithic in age — around 6,000 years old — which makes it one of the oldest known artifacts associated with settled agricultural communities in this part of Europe. Previously, no such figurines were ever found north of the Carpathians, so Kołobrzeg Venus is a stunning exception and an anomaly in Poland’s archaeological history.

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US lawmakers want Soros-linked Polish election ‘violations’ addressed

US lawmakers have called on the European Commission to address suspected election fraud in Poland, voicing concern over what they describe as a biased approach ahead of the country’s June 1 presidential runoff.

In a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast and fellow members expressed “profound alarm” over developments “undermining the integrity of democratic processes” in Poland. The letter cited foreign-funded online campaigns backing liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski and the Polish government’s refusal to release public funds to the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party.

The concerns centered on political ads favoring Trzaskowski, backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s Civic Coalition, which were allegedly financed from abroad. Poland’s digital watchdog NASK earlier this month flagged paid Facebook ads that promoted Trzaskowski while targeting right-wing candidates Karol Nawrocki and Slawomir Mentzen.

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Eccentric Polish Presidential Candidate Sets EU Flag Alight; Says “Down With Eurocommunism”

Eurocrats were thrown into an uproar last week after Polish presidential candidate and European Parliament member Grzegorz Braun—known for his provocative theatrical stunts—set fire to the European Union flag, condemning what he called the EU’s ‘ideological occupation’ of Poland by a globalist elite.

Braun, a Polish ultranationalist known for his bombastic style and unapologetic, unfiltered rhetoric, carried out the act at the historic Wujek coal mine in Katowice—a symbolic site tied to Poland’s anti-communist resistance.

First, he stormed into the Ministry of Industry, tore down the EU flag, wiped his shoes on it, and then burned it outside the building. “This is Poland—down with Euro-Communism,” he proclaimed in the video posted to his social media accounts.

“This organization has led to Poland’s liquidation,” Braun declared, referring to the European Union. “We will not tolerate symbols from hostile structures. In Poland, we do not show the signs of enemy organizations. These emblems carry no legal protection here.”

The action was part of Braun’s EU critical, to put it lightly, campaign ahead of Poland’s upcoming presidential election. He’s positioning himself as the uncompromising defender of Polish sovereignty against what he sees as the EU’s overreach, particularly in energy and environmental policy, which he claims threatens the heart of Polish industry.

“This is Poland, not Brussels!” Braun shouted during the protest, as coal miners cheered him on in solidarity.

Braun’s presidential campaign has centered around opposing EU mandates, defending traditional Polish values, and fighting what he calls “globalist totalitarianism.”

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