Poland deploys anti-terror police task force on Kaliningrad border over sabotage fears

A task force on the border

Polish police headquarters has set up an anti-terror task force in the northeast of the country, on the frontier with Russia, after intelligence services warned of possible Russian sabotage and incursions. The national police chief announced the move. A joint security operation brings together police, the army, the Border Guard and Polish special forces. It is under way in the Warmian-Masurian and Podlaskie voivodeships, which border Russia's Kaliningrad exclave.

Warnings behind the operation

Security sources cited by RMF FM said the government received warnings in the week of 26 October from the Military Intelligence Service (SWW) and allied intelligence agencies. According to those warnings, armed groups could try to breach the state border from the Russian side within the coming days. Police commander Marek Boroń told RMF FM that the operation is a direct answer to concrete threats the country faces. He put the purpose of the deployment this way:

“The police are securing the Kaliningrad region against possible events that could lead to acts of sabotage.”

The operation is preventive in character. Its command centre sits in Warsaw, while the voivodeship police headquarters in Olsztyn and Białystok also take part.

Reinforcements and the tribunal denial

Reinforcements have arrived at the border from police commands in several voivodeships, and counter-terrorism officers are part of the operation. Boroń firmly rejected any link between the mobilisation and events that have been visible for several days outside the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw. The police also denied reports that a letter dated 29 October, sent by a deputy commander-in-chief to voivodeship commanders, was connected to the Tribunal. Earlier, in a communiqué issued on Friday, 30 October, the force ordered full readiness for its officers from 2 to 8 November.

Army brigade on the border

Separately, the military is forming the 4th Warmian-Masurian Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces to take on new border tasks. The brigade will monitor the border area, support the Border Guard and take responsibility for the infrastructure of the "Eastern Shield" program, including fortifications and depots. Its commander, Colonel Cezary Kiszkowiak, told RMF FM that the unit will not replace border guards in their daily duties. Organisational changes are due by the end of 2026, while full readiness for the new mission is to be reached within the next two years. The border defence component has operated within the Territorial Defence Forces since 1 July 2026 and comprises four brigades, with a planned personnel strength of over 15 thousand according to the Territorial Defence Command.

Earlier incidents on the eastern frontier

Polsat News reported border incidents between Russia and Belarus on one side and the Baltic states on the other. In early October, masked and armed men on the Belarusian side reportedly tried to move a group of about 20 illegal migrants into Latvia. Latvian interior minister Janis Dombrava said on social media that an armed escort clashed with Latvian soldiers. Polsat News placed these events alongside the Polish mobilisation in its coverage.