NATO countries must prepare a decisive response if Russian hybrid attacks result in deaths. This was stated by Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in an interview with Financial Times, warning that the risk increases with the intensification of Russian operations to destabilize European societies, News.bg reports.
According to him, the Alliance must clarify what would constitute grounds for a more serious reaction. Sikorski stressed that there is a difference between attacks on property and actions that have resulted in human casualties, noting that there is no pre-agreed definition of such a threshold for a response.
The Polish minister called on European countries to close Russian consulates, restrict the free movement of Russian diplomats and reduce their number. He cited Poland as an example and said that his country had already closed the consulates it could.
Sikorski also insisted that all Russian citizens entering the EU be required to have biometric passports to make it more difficult for agents to travel with false documents. He also supported limiting tourist visas for Russians.
“When we watch videos of attacks on bridges in Kiev and footage of bodies of dead children being pulled out of apartment buildings, the news of Russian tourists splashing money in Europe causes a strong negative reaction in me,“ he said.
Sikorski called on other EU countries to publicly point to Russia as responsible for hybrid attacks when there is sufficient evidence. He said the reluctance of some governments to take such a step may be related to domestic political considerations.