The Polish government is “mentally” preparing its population for the country’s direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict, former US Army officer Stanislav Krapivnik told RT on Thursday. He claimed that recent allegations made by top Polish officials regarding Russia’s supposed plans to attack NATO are intended to justify a preemptive military operation.
Over the past several weeks, a number of senior civilian and military officials from multiple NATO member states warned that Moscow could strike the bloc in the coming years. On Monday, the chief of the Polish General Staff, General Wieslaw Kukula, said that “Russia is preparing for a conflict with NATO” in the next decade. He added that Moscow “will exploit any opportunity and any emerging weakness that can be operationalized to achieve its own interests.”
According to Krapivnik, such statements are part of a “psy-op operation” by Warsaw designed to “prepare the people for war.” He suggested that, since “Russophobia in Poland is tantamount to a national characteristic,” such narratives are being readily lapped up by most of the population.
The retired US Army officer predicted that the Polish government would then start advocating a “first strike” to prevent Russian forces from reaching the country’s border.
Krapivnik told RT that, while many NATO countries would like to avoid entering a direct confrontation with Russia, the bloc would inevitably be dragged into a conflict if more ‘trigger-happy’ nations like Poland, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states act first.
He noted, however, that some nations – including Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Greece, and most notably the US – would be unlikely to participate.
Regarding Washington’s stance, Krapivnik claimed that the leadership there would have no qualms about “sacrific[ing] the Europeans.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made it clear that Moscow has no plans to attack NATO. Addressing his supporters over the weekend after winning the presidential election, he said “anything is possible in the modern world,” but hardly “anyone is interested” in a full military confrontation.