NATO has been put on high alert after Russia was accused of launching terror attacks against airlines around the world.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Russia has been committing “acts of air terror” against airlines as part of global sabotage schemes.
He said: “The latest information can confirm the validity of fears that Russia was planning acts of terrorism in the air not only against Poland.”
Moscow has previously denied claims of sabotage and called accusations unfounded, but Western officials believe there is a plot to plant explosive devices in cargo planes heading to America.
Last year, a package containing one of these devices caught fire in Germany, and another in the UK.
Poland has previously accused Russia of engaging in hybrid warfare against the West in a retaliatory effort for its support of Ukraine in the ongoing war.
Mr Tusk has also put the blame on Russia and Belarus for the migration crisis along the EU’s eastern border with Belarus, which he said was causing chaos and dividing the bloc.
Last year, Poland’s foreign minister closed one of three Russian consulates in response.
Ken McCallum, head of MI5’s domestic intelligence service, previously warned that the Russian military intelligence (GRU) “in particular is on a sustained mission to generate mayhem on British and European streets: we’ve seen arson, sabotage and more”.
Keir Giles, senior fellow at Chatham House, added: “If you strip out some of the Russian attacks that appear to be random attacks designed to sow fear, the remaining attempts follow a clear pattern.
“Russia is probing defences and probing the capabilities of European states to respond. [This] demonstrated a clear willingness by Russian intelligence services to carry out attacks that cause mass civilian casualties.”
