Poland deputy prime minister warns Russia could seek NATO attack justification through “false flag” operation

Poland’s deputy prime minister, Radek Sikorski, warned that Russia could attempt to stage a “false flag operation” in order to justify an attack framed as a response to NATO actions, according to an interview with CBS News published June 25, 2026.

Sikorski said he “wouldn’t exclude” the Russians carrying out some kind of false flag operation designed to justify an attack on NATO. He made the comment in the context of heightened concern among European governments over spillover risks from the war in Ukraine and the possibility of incidents being used for strategic escalation.

The warning comes as Poland, which shares a border with Ukraine and has been one of Kyiv’s most persistent European backers, continues to emphasize NATO’s readiness. Poland has repeatedly stressed the importance of collective defense and maintaining close coordination with allies on threats, particularly those involving Russia and cross-border security.

Sikorski’s remarks also reflect a common line of inquiry among officials in NATO countries, namely whether Russia could try to manipulate events to obtain political and military room to act. In the CBS News interview, he treated the scenario as a possibility, rather than an allegation of a specific incident already underway.

CBS News reported that Sikorski linked his caution to the broader operational environment surrounding the Ukraine war, where information campaigns, battlefield narratives, and retaliatory claims have been central features of how conflicts are justified. His “false flag” framing was presented as a scenario that Poland and allies should be prepared to assess carefully.

Officials typically distinguish between unverified claims of enemy deception and actionable indicators that can be vetted through intelligence, incident forensics, and diplomatic verification. In Sikorski’s case, the interview did not identify a particular event that Poland says proves a false flag has occurred, but it underscored the potential for Russia to attempt to steer international responses.

The CBS News report placed Sikorski’s warning alongside ongoing debates in European capitals about escalation control, crisis communications, and how NATO would respond to incidents involving its members. The remarks add to the public pressure on allied governments to maintain robust detection and response systems, including clear chains of command and procedures for attributing responsibility after contested events.

Poland’s deputy prime minister’s comments are likely to be used in internal and allied discussions about risk management, particularly if new incidents occur that could be disputed. Any move toward attribution or collective responses would still depend on evidence standards and assessments by relevant national and NATO institutions, rather than statements alone.