In early September, Poland closed its eastern border following Russian-Belarusian wargames that sent at least 19 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into Polish airspace, including a rail route that moves 90 percent of rail freight from the European Union (EU) to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Poland’s border closure, though it reopened on September 23, revealed how quickly an ostensibly commercial corridor could become a geopolitical pressure point, as Moscow and its allies demonstrated, intentionally or not, that the space between conflict and commerce is fertile ground for coercion. The closure of Poland’s eastern border and the suspension of trade signaled to Moscow that Europe also possesses the capacity to exert economic pressure on Russia by closing routes that help it to evade sanctions by channeling European goods through the PRC into Russia. The growing convergence between Russia and the PRC deepens the vulnerability of European supply chains as they face pressure from the United States to sanction Chinese entities transporting Russian oil.
How Does Hybrid Warfare Impact the Global Supply Chain? – The Soufan Center
