Russian boat approaches gas pipeline in Baltic Sea near Poland

Poland's Interior Ministry has disclosed details of a dangerous incident near Szczecin earlier mentioned by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

As reported by Polish news portal RMF24, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Karolina Gałecka said on 2 October that a Russian boat stopped for 20 minutes next to a gas pipeline, prompting an intervention by Polish border guards.

The incident occurred at around 06:30 in the morning. Using monitoring systems, border guards detected the Russian boat sailing towards Russia. At one point, the vessel came right up to the pipeline – drifting as close as 300 metres away. The boat then stopped for about 20 minutes in the area of the pipeline.

"The Coast Guard established radio contact with the crew of the vessel and ordered them to leave the area immediately. The crew complied with the instruction, and the situation ended safely. The area around the pipeline is under constant monitoring by the services.

I emphasise that in such cases the Interior Ministry services react immediately and effectively, working together and taking appropriate measures to ensure the security of strategic infrastructure," Gałecka said.

Earlier, Tusk reported on the incident in the Baltic Sea. The prime minister mentioned it while taking part in a panel discussion together with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron at the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen.

"I received a message from Warsaw. We have another incident near the port of Szczecin," he said.

On 30 September, wreckage of another drone was discovered in northern Poland, reportedly identified as one of the Russian drones that violated Polish airspace on the night of 9-10 September.

Meanwhile, French authorities have launched an investigation into a tanker belonging to Russia's shadow fleet and detained two crew members. Media reports suggested the tanker could be linked to the appearance of unidentified drones near strategic facilities in Denmark.