Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said today he has sent ‘significant’ forces to the Russian border amid fears of an armed incursion.
The move comes as his country foiled a potential ‘provocation’ overnight on its border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, he said in a statement, noting that he was informed just after midnight of ‘disturbing movements’ on Poland‘s northern border.
‘For some time now, we have been receiving information from our allies that acts of sabotage and provocation could occur on the border with Russia in the first half of November. Therefore, we have decided to deploy significant police, border guard, and counterterrorist forces to the area.’
He added that the incident followed weeks of warnings from Polish and allied intelligence that ‘acts of diversion or more serious provocation’ could target the European Union and NATO member’s border with Russia, including ‘the intrusion of armed individuals into Polish territory’.
Tusk warned that Poland could face a prolonged ‘escalation from the Russian side’, and called for heightened vigilance against sabotage operations or other threats.
Poland, which sits on the eastern flank of the EU and NATO, has repeatedly accused Russia of ‘sabotage’ since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Warsaw plays a key logistical role in getting Western military and humanitarian aid into Ukraine.
Tusk’s announcement comes as a series of hoax bomb threats sparked flight chaos across Europe, with at least six passenger jets forced to make emergency landings at airports across the continent – including two in Poland.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (pictured) said today he has sent armed forces to the Russian border
Poland shares a border with the Russian exclave Kaliningrad
In September, Tusk warned that Russia’s war plans included ‘hybrid’ attacks with drones and missiles against Ukraine’s allies.
Two of the grounded flights took off from the UK on Tuesday before making unscheduled landings due to the mid-air security scares.
LOT Polish Airlines passenger flight departed London Heathrow Airport this morning and headed for Warsaw-Chopin Airport, but was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin following the alert, which was announced at 9.54am local time.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 landed safely at 10.01am, and security forces are verifying the reported threat, a spokesperson for Warsaw-Modlin Airport said in a statement.
Some 118 passengers are understood to have been on the flight.
The travel hub currently remains shut following the alert, with the airport adding: ‘The safety of passengers, crew and airport employees is currently the highest priority.’
A spokesperson for LOT Polish Airlines told the Daily Mail that it had been ‘notified by airport authorities of a potential security threat on board a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operating flight LO286 from London to Warsaw.’
‘The aircraft was diverted to Warsaw Modlin Airport, where it landed and subsequently taxied to a designated parking stand. Relevant authorities are assessing the situation in accordance with established security procedures,’ the airline added.
The flight, which was meant to land at Warsaw-Chopin airport, was diverted to Warsaw Modlin
Image shows the LOT Polish Airlines plane at Warsaw Modlin airport as passengers were evacuated following its emergency landing
Video grab shows passengers being evacuated in Warsaw Chopin airport following a bomb threat on board a SAS flight
Spanish officials confirmed a Ryanair plane from Manchester to Murcia airport in southern Spain came under threat
Another bomb threat was reported on an SAS flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw, which landed at Chopin Airport and was being checked, a Warsaw-Chopin Airport spokesperson said, adding that the airport was continuing operations.
SAS, which ran the flight from Copenhagen, confirmed it had landed safely, and all passengers had disembarked.
A runway at Chopin Airport is understood to be closed, according to reports.
Warsaw has two airports – Chopin is within the city limits and Modlin, mostly used by budget airlines, is about 22 miles from the capital.
Spanish officials also confirmed a Ryanair plane from Manchester to Murcia airport in southern Spain came under threat.
The Ryanair flight had 121 people on board, including crew, according to Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region.
The plane was being investigated, and security protocol had started, he added.
Bulgarian media reported around midday on Tuesday that a flight had been targeted with a bomb threat by email before it landed in Sofia.
It is understood counter-terrorism teams are checking the planes for explosives.
It comes just a day after a fighter jet escorted a Wizz Air passenger plane flying from London to Bulgaria following a bomb threat on board the flight.
A Hungarian Gripen fighter plane was scrambled to escort the aircraft, which was forced to make an emergency landing at Budapest airport, Hungary’s defence minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said on Monday.
In a statement, the minister said the fighter jet was deployed ‘within minutes’ to escort the aircraft and ensure it landed safely.
A police officer and a sniffer dog inspecting a Ryanair airplane and its baggage, after Ryanair’s operations centre reported a bomb threat received during the flight from Manchester to Murcia, according to Guardia Civil, in Murcia, Spain, November 3
The Ryanair flight to Spain had 121 people on board, including crew, according to Francisco Lucas, the Spanish government’s delegate in the Murcia region
‘Our soldiers have once again proven that they can be deployed immediately if necessary and can guarantee the security of Hungary’s airspace,’ he said.
The Sofia-bound Airbus A321 departed London Luton Airport shortly after 8.30am, but was forced to make a U-turn over Bosnia and Herzegovina following the alert.
Authorities carried out an inspection of the aircraft at Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt Airport, but Wizz Air later confirmed nothing suspicious was found.
Mr Ruszin-Szendi said police carried out additional measures following the landing.
Wizz Air said: ‘Wizz Air confirms that today’s London Luton–Sofia flight was diverted to Budapest following a bomb threat received during the flight.
‘The aircraft diverted and landed safely at Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport in accordance with the relevant security protocols and procedures, before taxiing to a designated stand, where the relevant authorities carried out the necessary security checks on the aircraft and passengers.
‘Wizz Air is co-operating fully with the authorities. The safety of passengers and crew remains our highest priority.’
The airline said authorities would conduct ‘necessary security checks on the aircraft and passengers’.
According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the flight was due to land at the international airport in Sofia at around 1.25pm local time.
However, a map on the tracking website shows the A321 Airbus diverting towards Hungary over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Separately, on Monday, dozens of shops across Europe were hit by cyber hackers who seized control of their fridges and freezers.
Supermarkets in Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Luxembourg and Estonia were among those targeted – just weeks after hackers turned up the temperatures of cooling units in hundreds of French grocery stores.
The latest attack involved a number of fridges manufactured by Belgian firm Sabcobel. The company said units’ evaporators were switched to defrost mode, causing temperatures to spike from -27C to 50C in some cases.
It is similar to the method used in last month’s attack on French supermarkets, which led to millions of euros’ worth of food being thrown away and caused a number of fires.
The French hacks affected fridges supplied by Danfoss, which also works with British supermarkets including Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
The events that have unfolded across Europe this week come as the US mid-term elections come to a close, with the outcome set to have an impact across the globe.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow.
