GARRY KASPAROV
Aug 9, 2026
It’s a question that deserves a clear answer:
KASPAROV: Why can’t NATO shoot down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory? When Iran attacked Israel, the Americans, French, British shot down Iranian missiles. Why can one shoot down Iranian missiles flying at Israel but cannot shoot down Russian missiles flying at Ukraine?
This generation of Western leaders lacks the strategic and moral clarity of the Cold War, embraces corruption disguised as engagement, and ignores that stopping small attacks is the only way to deter big ones. Wake up. It’s war. Fight or lose.
My Diplomatic Mission in Poland
Repairing a coalition for Ukraine.
AUG 07, 2026
Garry Kasparov is the founder and chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative, which publishes The Next Move.
Last week, I was in Poland on a personal diplomatic mission. I met the president, the foreign minister, a former prime minister, and the mayor of Warsaw. My goal was simple: strengthen a coalition for Ukrainian victory and against Russian imperialism.
On its face, that task might appear straightforward, especially in a place like Poland. As I’ll explain, things are never so simple.
Like the Ukrainians, Poles have also experienced the bitter taste of Russian imperialism for generations. Tragedies like the Katyn massacre—the murder of nearly 22,000 Polish officers by the Red Army—are seared into the Polish national consciousness. The Soviets invaded Poland along with the Nazis in 1939, and Poles lived under a Soviet-backed communist dictatorship for nearly half a century after the war.
All of that means a basic understanding of the Russian threat is baked into Poles’ DNA. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Poland stepped up to provide critical aid. The Polish government has provided the Ukrainian military with more tanks than any other country. Meanwhile, Poland hosts nearly a million Ukrainian refugees, making it the number two destination for people fleeing the Russian invasion.
The sudden arrival of such a large foreign population naturally puts a strain on even the most harmonious relationships. Polish law enforcement have reported an uptick in xenophobic attacks on Ukrainians, occurring everywhere from a construction site where refugees work to the schoolyard where their children play.
Add to this the fact that Poland and Ukraine have their own complicated backstory. Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently designated a Ukrainian military unit as “Heroes of the UPA”—the World War II-era Ukrainian Insurgent Army. To Ukrainians, the UPA are freedom fighters who resisted Soviet-Russian colonization. Poles remember the UPA as the villains behind the murder of their countrymen in the borderlands between Poland and the USSR. Americans may be accustomed to viewing World War II as a binary conflict, but many Central and Eastern European nations were caught between the twin evils of communism and fascism.
In July, videos of Polish men beating a young Ukrainian couple went viral. There have been calls for an end to military aid to Ukraine until Zelenskyy withdraws the UPA honor. Lech Walesa, the heroic dissident and Poland’s first post-communist president, removed a Ukrainian flag pin from his chest. Walesa had worn the pin from the beginning of Russia’s invasion, and had previously lobbied the US government to provide more support for Ukraine. Meanwhile, the current president, Karol Nawrocki, rescinded Zelenskyy’s Order of the White Eagle, the highest award conferred by the Polish government.
Tensions about refugees and history are now feeding off of each other. Anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Poland is at its highest point since the full-scale invasion began.
This is the complex situation into which I stepped. I met with President Nawrocki, who’s affiliated with the right-wing Law and Justice party, and I met with Warsaw Mayor Trzaskowski from the liberal Civic Coalition (Trzakowski ran against Nawrocki in the last presidential election). I saw my friend, Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski of the Civic Coalition, and I shared a long conversation with former Prime Minister Mateusz Moriawecki, who led a Law and Justice government for six years. Now he’s launching a new political party that he describes as “the most lefty of the righties.” Anyway, I was not in Poland to pick sides; I was there to repair a coalition that spans the political spectrum.
My message was clear: Whatever Poland’s historical differences with Ukraine, they share a common enemy in Russia now, and the alliance between Warsaw and Kyiv is essential for both. A Russian missile landed on Polish territory during my stay, putting a very fine point on that argument. Vladimir Putin is actively probing NATO’s defenses, and I believe an open attack on an alliance member— probably one of the Baltics—is coming soon.
Of course, many friends of Ukraine would also humbly advise that Kyiv practice a bit of pragmatism in its dealings with Poland. Nevertheless, the priority should remain the same. Poles and Ukrainians might look to fellow democracies Japan and South Korea for inspiration. Tokyo and Seoul are finally rekindling their relationship despite a painful history because the threat from North Korea and China is too immediate to suffer decades-old distractions.
Americans, too, should consider what it means to prioritize and build a broad coalition for Ukraine. Zelenskyy recently caught flack from left-wing pundits like Mehdi Hasan for taking an interview with MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, who previously parroted the pro-Russian line. It’s certainly fair to question the motivations behind Loomer’s about face—grifters tend to follow the money. But people in the Ukrainians’ position can’t afford to pick and choose. The truth is that I don’t even agree with my Polish hosts on every single issue, but those private disagreements are unimportant. If Loomer’s conversion in turn converts her followers on the American right, then it will have been worth it. New recruits in the global fight for freedom over tyranny are always welcome.
Comment from :
John Dynsky
Ukraine 🇺🇦 deserves a lot more help then it is getting. No fly zones should be implemented in Ukraine air space to stop Satanic Russia’s unwarranted continuation of this barbaric and totally evil war of aggression. When will enough is enough be declared by the West?
Paul Guire
The downing of attack missiles aimed at killing civilians would be deemed an act of Escalation and would be punished by Russia . Cue European politicians running around like headless chickens while the crows fly above – European politicians are not chipped to respond to that question.
Putin understands perfectly well Europe is BAU first then let’s have meeting then funding then ………it’s lunchtime we don’t work lunches.
Mr Kasparov is 100% right but the answer won’t come !
Egbert Wientjes
WAKE UP western world and defend the brave Ukrainians ❤️
Geoff Oats
I have been asking THİS QUESTİON for over 18 Months!!!
Peter Moshe Shamah
Completely and totally agreed – it makes no sense that our sky was covered (at least in the second round of the Iran war, they did not do so in the February war), and yet they all engage in hand wringing when it comes to Ukraine’s skies.
They’re not even willing to take seriously their own skies when Russian missiles and drones fly into Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Germany etc. NATO has known about this shortage for years, and yet?
It’s absolutely ridiculous. Ukraine’s skies must be covered by a world coalition, 4+ years too late! The time to act is now!!
Anthony Schlega
Closing Ukrainian air space is a must.
Nitish Dutta-Gupta
Simple : Putin has information on child molesting scum Trump, however NATO is spineless with low morals to protect Ukraine. 🎯🎯🎯🎯🎯
Manfried The Red Baron
NATO can potentially defend Ukraine !!
Now what if Ukraine “invited”NATO to intercept incoming Russian missiles once they had crossed into Ukrainian airspace, firing from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, or Moldova.
It’s a narrow intercept window, and it depends if the interceptor has the range but you don’t have to wait until the incoming missile is actually in Ukraine before launching and the radar tracking could be inside Ukraine.
That way NATO is not in direct conflict with Russia as NATO would just be doing what Russia is doing by firing missiles into Ukraine, only NATO would have Ukraine’s permission while Russia does not and is intent on committing war crimes by deliberately murdering civilians.
The UN could call it a “Humanitarian enforcement of a No fly zone” if you want to give it a broader International legal support ?
European production of Patriot or a more modern successor could also be ramped up to ensure no supply bottlenecks and take back more political defence control if the US is unable to meet its Budapest treaty commitments to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
That Red Baron guy has got the germ of an idea.
But no fucker will take it up.
Shaun Pinner (UK/UA army vet) :
Why is so little attention being paid to North Korea supplying ballistic missiles to Russia?
Acknowledging and drawing attention to this development is not wished by the various NATO countries because this would mean reciprocating this move or to do something else that shows strength. But everyone is too afraid to go that route, so keeping quiet is the safest option. In other words, they are still spineless cowards.
Svitlana Moronets has commented on this on her Speccie column:
North Korea comes to Russia’s aid
Kim Jong-un knows better than to send North Korean soldiers to the frontline in Ukraine. As the despot learned last year, any troops charging across open fields towards Ukrainian positions will be hunted by drones within minutes. By conservative estimates, of some 12,000 North Korean soldiers who helped Russia recapture parts of the Kursk region last March, at least 2,300 were killed. This time, Pyongyang comes to Russia’s aid by sending a ballistic missile unit to help it bomb Ukraine.
The unit of around 90 North Korean servicemen is taking up positions in Voronezh Oblast, western Russia, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence. It is believed to have six launchers and 120 ballistic missiles that can be stopped only by US-made Patriot interceptors. Ukraine’s air defence forces currently have none, meaning that every single one of the 27 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at and around Kyiv yesterday reached its target. At least 17 people were killed, and dozens of huge warehouses and major Ukrainian retail outlets were destroyed.
Russia is producing roughly 100 to 150 new missiles every month, according to Serhii ‘Flash’ Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian President. Thanks to North Korea, Moscow has now received a fresh batch of 40 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, as reported by Reuters. They have a greater range and larger payload than Russia’s equivalent, Iskander, but are much less accurate.
The unit’s deployment comes a week after Russia fired its first two North Korean missiles at Ukraine since last August. One obliterated a house in the central village of Radushne, killing ten members of the Voronov family: parents Artem and Olena, seven of their children and their 18-month-old grandson. Only five coffins were buried on Monday as the remains of the rest of the victims retrieved from the rubble have been sent for examination to identify them.
The Kremlin has been exploiting its ballistic advantage mercilessly over the summer and will continue doing so as colder days approach. Volodymyr Zelensky asked the US for 300 Patriots to defend Ukraine last month but Donald Trump rejected the request, citing the US army’s own depleted reserves due to its war with Iran. European allies have also grown desensitised to Kyiv’s pleas, holding on to the remaining Patriots. In Poland, the transfer of five Patriot missiles to Ukraine in spring sparked a political scandal: the opposition accused the government of jeopardising the country’s security, while Prime Minister Donald Tusk argued that Ukrainians need the interceptors far more than a nation at peace.
President Zelensky announced yesterday that the supply of allied missiles for air defence systems has decreased threefold compared to last year. Western partners have Patriot missiles in their stockpiles, he claimed, but are yet to decide to supply them to Ukraine. This winter will be the toughest yet due to flattened energy infrastructure, Zelensky warned. Ukrainians will have to survive another season without light, heat and water once the temperature drops below zero while trying to outrun Russian and, now, North Korean ballistic missiles. Unlike last winter, Ukraine won’t be able to intercept a single one.
Phillips P OBrien :
Trump never warmed to Ukraine, he never changed his mind about helping Ukraine, he was not on the verge of letting them have Patriot license. It was all a myth to help Putin and hurt Ukraine.
You need to understand that to make sense of the last 18 months.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky :
The belief that Putin has unlimited time — to take the Donbas, to carve off from Ukraine whatever he likes — is wrong. That time is visibly running out. And the belief inside Russia that everything can continue this way for a long time is a mistake.
Shaun Pinner :
If reports of this second deployment are correct, it would bring North Korea’s total commitment to around 60,000 personnel.
To put that figure into perspective, in sheer manpower it is comparable to a substantial proportion, if not all of the British Army’s regular deployable ground forces, including its infantry, with the Royal Marines added for comparison.
This is no longer peripheral support.
North Korea is contributing significant military manpower and ballistic-missile capability to a war in Europe.
And nobody is saying a word.
Phillips P OBrien
People are missing the real story during all this talk of Putin “testing” NATO. It is this. If Putin is thinking of testing NATO, he knows that the USA would do nothing to protect Europe. In other words, he knows what Trump will do. If he thought the USA would fight, he would never consider this.
Trump is his opportunity.
Aaron Parnas (Lev’s son) :
Congress is preparing an “investigative machine” to target Trump, his family, his companies, and companies that have done business with the White House. At the same time, I caught Todd Blanche’s name in the Epstein files in a redacted file that we need more context on.
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“There have been calls for an end to military aid to Ukraine until Zelenskyy withdraws the UPA honor. Lech Walesa, the heroic dissident and Poland’s first post-communist president, removed a Ukrainian flag pin from his chest. Walesa had worn the pin from the beginning of Russia’s invasion, and had previously lobbied the US government to provide more support for Ukraine.”
Walesa was previously very sound on Ukraine. This is a very bad development.
To be honest, which I always am, I do not understand why Ukraine has named a unit after an entity that draws so much criticism from Poland. I also don’t understand why Poland is blowing this so out of proportion. There are others outside of Poland who are also not happy with Ukraine’s stance on this.
Ukraine is holding the short end of the stick as long as it is fighting the mafia state. Why doesn’t Zelensky relent? He is not doing the country any favors with this.