!['Crazy' Putin could attack NATO in 2026, Russia building up troops in Belarus, Zelensky says](https://assets.kyivindependent.com/content/images/2025/02/DSC06416------.jpg)
'Crazy' Putin could attack NATO in 2026, Russia building up troops in Belarus, Zelensky says
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia plans to deploy 15 divisions, totaling 100,000 to 150,000 troops, primarily in Belarus.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia plans to deploy 15 divisions, totaling 100,000 to 150,000 troops, primarily in Belarus.
WIG Ukraine, Ukrainian companies' stock price index on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE), rose by almost 25% in a few days, reaching pre-war levels, Polish media outlet Puls Biznesu reported.
Editor’s note: The transcript of this interview has been edited for length and clarity. Poland holds a special position among Kyiv's partners — with a shared history of Russian oppression and conquest, its leaders have left no room for doubt that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine represented an existential threat
"If we compare January with July last year, we see a 45% decrease," State Border Guard spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said.
Ukraine's ambassador to Poland, Vasyl Bodnar, said on Feb. 8 that the preparations for the exhumation of remains of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy are underway.
The number of Poles backing continued military assistance to Kyiv dropped from 54% to 49% during 2024, according to a survey by the ARC Rynek i Opinia research group published on Feb. 4.
Polish and other allied aircraft were quickly mobilized on Feb. 1 in response to a large-scale missile attack by Russia on western Ukraine, Poland's Armed Forces reported on X.
Half of Poles believe Ukraine should not join NATO or the EU until the issue of exhuming Volyn massacre victims is resolved, according to a new poll published on Jan. 30.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Poland for a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Auschwitz death camp, Zelensky’s spokesperson, Serhii Nykyforov, told Ukrinform on Jan. 27.
OSCE observers not invited to monitor upcoming presidential election in Belarus. Belarus to host over 13,000 Russian troops for Zapad-2025 joint military drills with Russia. Belarus sentences EU diplomatic staffer to four years in prison. Subscribe to the Newsletter Belarus Weekly Join us Irregular crossings into EU from eastern
Russia attacked Ukraine using cruise and ballistic missiles on Jan. 15, targeting critical infrastructure in several oblasts.
Key developments on Jan. 15: * Ukraine's military now totals 880,000 soldiers, facing 600,000 Russian troops, Zelensky says * Russia launches mass missile attack against Ukraine * Ukraine, Russia have to make concessions to end war, Rubio says * Ukraine brings back 25 people from Russian captivity, including Azovstal defenders * Lithuania would
"No one but Europe will solve its defense problems," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Jan. 15.
"These acts of sabotage are versions of the war that Russia has declared to the whole world, not just Ukraine," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
The Volyn massacre involved widespread violence that claimed tens of thousands of Polish and Ukrainian lives.
Monitoring group German Aid to Ukraine wrote earlier that two MIM-104 Patriot fire units and a total of 200 Bundeswehr soldiers will be deployed to Poland for an estimated six months to protect Polish airspace.
Exhumation of the remains of Polish victims of the Volyn tragedy buried in Ternopil Oblast, where the village of Puzhnyky was located in the 1940s, will begin in April, Polish RMF FM reported on Jan. 13.
"We didn't refuse the flight; the Slovak side simply sent us incomplete documents... when they were asked to complete them, they informed us about the change of route," the Polish Foreign Ministry's spokesperson said.
The European Commission plans to begin drafting new sanctions against Russia next week, with the goal of approving the package on Feb. 24 — the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry announced on Jan. 10 that the second group of volunteers had already signed contracts in Lublin to join the unit. For the first time, the recruits included women who applied for medical and communications roles.
"I would like to thank the ministers of culture of Poland and Ukraine for their good cooperation. We are waiting for further decisions," Donald Tusk wrote in a post on X.
Belarus rejects President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko apologized for Belarus’s role in Russia’s war, blames external forces for dragging Belarus into conflict. Belarus shows opposition leader Viktar Babaryka for the first time after nearly two years of incommunicado detention. Poland to complete border wall
"Such statements indicate that the Polish politician prioritizes short-term political considerations over the strategic security interests of his own country," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.
Lithuania has announced plans to enhance security measures around its power grids with Poland in preparation for next month's decoupling from the Russian energy system.
The Jan. 9 meeting will focus on strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities through 2027, including air force, armor, artillery, drone, de-mining, missile defense, and maritime security needs, according to a Pentagon statement on Jan. 7.
Poland closed its consulate building in St. Petersburg after 53 years. The decision follows Warsaw's order to close a Russian consulate in the Polish city of Poznan last year after accusing Moscow of sabotage plots.
"But what kind of deal would a sensible Europe accept? Certainly not an ordinary deal that would allow Moscow to regain its strength," Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said.
The protest follows a series of demonstrations by Polish farmers against Ukrainian agricultural imports after the EU lifted tariffs on goods from Ukraine in 2022.
Poland's Office for Foreigners, which the letter falsely attributes as the author, stressed that it did not issue the document and that its content is fake. Ukraine's Embassy in Warsaw also denied the document's authenticity.
The protest follows a series of demonstrations by Polish farmers against Ukrainian agricultural imports since the start of the full-scale war.
"We will do everything to ensure that Europe's security is a reality, not just an aspiration. I hope Poland will lead efforts that result in peace," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
Poland is ready to increase domestic electricity production if Slovakia halts the delivery of backup power supplies to Ukraine, an unnamed Polish official told Bloomberg on Dec. 29.