Story perspectives

NATO says it can quickly defeat Russia

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 12:13 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Patrushev Warns Poland

Nikolay Patrushev warned Poland could cease to exist within two or three days if it fought Russia.
Radoslaw Sikorski said NATO could quickly defeat Russia if Moscow attacked the alliance.
Sikorski earlier claimed Poland could defeat Russia quickly in a direct conflict, citing air-power superiority.
Patrushev asserted Russia was not deploying its full military potential in the Ukraine war.

Summary

Rutte Rejects Intimidation

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the alliance will not be intimidated by Russian drone attacks near Poland.
Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz reported recovering a suspected Russian drone from the Baltic Sea.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said negotiations with Ukraine and the United States could begin in October.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would stop strikes on Russian energy if Moscow ceased attacks on Ukrainian sites.

History

Historical Context

On 1 September 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west, and on 17 September the Soviet Union entered from the east under the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop protocol, dividing the country and capturing about 320,000 Polish soldiers. The conquest ended on 6 October 1939, setting a precedent of aggression that today fuels Warsaw’s demand for NATO guarantees, echoed by Mark Rutte and Russian official Nikolay Patrushev.

1 of 3

Patrushev Warns Poland

Nikolay Patrushev warned Poland could cease to exist within two or three days if it fought Russia.
Radoslaw Sikorski said NATO could quickly defeat Russia if Moscow attacked the alliance.
Sikorski earlier claimed Poland could defeat Russia quickly in a direct conflict, citing air-power superiority.
Patrushev asserted Russia was not deploying its full military potential in the Ukraine war.

1 / 3