A third major fire in less than a week broke out in Poland on Monday, prompting the authorities to suspect that the incidents may be linked to hybrid operations by Russian intelligence services.
The latest fire broke out in a warehouse in Siemianowice Ślaskie in southern Poland. This follows a fire in a residential building in Ząbki, near Warsaw, on 1 July, and a fire in a production hall in Mińsk Mazowiecki, around 35 km from the capital, on Sunday.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on Monay that in light of Russia’s hybrid tactics, the government is treating all major fires with increased scrutiny.
“Since January 2024, we have seen several attempted acts of sabotage. Every significant incident, fire, or attempted arson is being assessed as a potential act of sabotage,” he said during a press conference.
The suspicion of Russian involvement intensified after a massive shopping center in Marywilska, Warsaw, burned down in May. The government later said it had evidence linking Russian intelligence to the incident. In response, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski ordered the closure of Russia’s consulate in Kraków.
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Can? Yes. However article 5 only demands countries to bring what they believe is necessary to defend the country that invoked article 5. So if the US sends a firefighting truck and the crew to man it, they could claim to have done enough.
Also for the Iraq invasion, it was easy and there was little to no doubt that the “coalition of the willing” among them Poland and other NATO members, would roll in on the back of the US. Poland got itself access to some Iraqi oilfields it could exploit. That was more like a viking raid on a village whose guard is just the local farmer youth.
I think when it comes to the current situation many countries are reluctant to put NATO to the test, as they are scared for NATO to be revealed to be divided and weak.