Gen. Kukuła: Russia is not yet strong enough to attack the NATO state, but it remains unpredictable

Russia is not yet strong enough to attack the NATO state, but it remains unpredictable – said General Wiesław Kukuła, Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Army on Monday. He added that the spectrum of war distributes peace and mobilization, and the purpose of recent drones was, among others arousing emotions and division of society.

On TVP Info, General Kukuła was asked about the threat of war after the Russian drones violated the Polish airspace last week. On the night of September 9-10, the Polish airspace was then violated. Those drones that pose a direct threat were then shot down by Polish and allied aviation.

– I can only say that after these events she certainly did not move away, so from this point of view our reaction is the most important now. If it is fear, then the Russian Federation has achieved its goals. (…) Our basic answer is peace today, mobilization – answered the general.

When asked if Russia can attack the NATO state, General Kukuła emphasized that “Russia is not yet strong enough, but it actually remains unpredictable and has not changed its vector of intentions, that is, it still perceives us as a threat.” – He is still trying to pull us into his influence zone. This means that when good circumstances occur or are strong enough, it can actually use armed tools here to achieve his political goals – he added.

The commander also argued that “someone who is prepared is not attacking; he is not attacking someone who is not afraid,” he said.

Referring to the actions of Polish and allied aviation, which on the night of September 9-10 shot down drones that were a threat, he explained that the identification of goals was “multi-layered”, using radar systems and F-35 aircraft, with great sensors.

Gen. Kukuła He also denied the information that the goal of Russian drones was the airport in Rzeszów. – I can't confirm it (…). In my opinion, this is not a real term. (…) The goal of them was not Rzeszów or its surroundings – he said. He also noted that “the vast majority of these drones were unarmed”, but “they carried a powerful charge of emotions that was supposed to ignite Polish public opinion, undermine trust in the armed forces and divide us.”

– Today in Poland, as Polish military, we have no doubt that it was an attack implemented from the territory and by the Russian Federation using Russian drones – he emphasized, when asked about the words of the US president, that the violation of Polish aircraft by Russian drones could have been the result of an error.

When asked about a warning from Belarus, he replied: “We do not trust Belarus”, indicating that – in his opinion – “above all Belarus herself was (…) terrified of the scale of what happened and tried to take off the burden of responsibility.”

He added that Belarus is constantly escalating on the land border. – And he continues to hide the murderer of a Polish soldier who remains for us the number one goal – he noted. He also emphasized that the killer of Sergeant Mateusz Sitek, who died in June 2024 after he was lost with a knife during an attempt to force the Polish-Belarusian border by a group of migrants, is known to both the Belarusian and Polish side. – I assure you that such a day will come once, that dead or alive will face justice – emphasized General Kukuła.

The commander, when asked about preparing for an attack of armed drones, replied that “we live today in a world that is A little bit between the time of peace and the time of war” – The better we demonstrate our readiness to fight (…), the more we move the specter of the outbreak of a potential war – he concluded. (PAP)

NNO/ SDD/ MHR/