Russia lacks forces for 'major attack on NATO,' Poland says

Russia lacks the forces to launch a major attack on NATO while its military remains tied up in Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in remarks reported on Monday.Speaking to public broadcasterTVPInfo, Sikorski elaborated on his warning last week that Warsaw had information from multiple sources indicating Russia was “preparing something big this year.”Asked what form Moscow’s plans might take, he said “of course only Putin knows that, but we must be ready, we must not let ourselves be manipulated, and we must be vigilant, so that as an alliance we can react immediately to any provocation.”“Russia doesn’t have the forces for a major attack on NATO,” he said. “All its forces are tied up in Ukraine.”Sikorski suggested Moscow could attempt “something on a smaller scale that might cause some controversy among allies.”An incident that divided European and US members over whether NATO’s Article 5 mutual defence clause applied would suit the Kremlin, Sikorski added.“Russia might do more aggressively what it’s already doing,” he added.Last week Polish authorities temporarilyevacuatedthe Hrubieszow and Dorohusk border crossings after intense Russian drone and missile strikes targeted Ukraine’s western regions bordering Poland.Separately, Polish fighter jets were scrambled and air defences placed on standby after aRussian Mi-8 helicopter crossed into Polish airspacefrom Kaliningrad.Western governments have accused Moscow of conducting sabotage and airspace incursions as part of a campaign of hybrid warfare against NATO and EU countries.