The attack occurred 15 miles from NATO member Poland. This prompted Poles to rush to their passport offices to stockpile necessities and to avoid being cut off from supplies.
An unbroken line of applicants, unknown for many decades, formed Monday in front Warsaw’s main passport office, Krucza Street. Shoppers’ carts were filled with bottled water, canned food, flashlights, and batteries. Street people talked about the latest news and their fears for the future.
Justyna Winnicka (44), was outside the passport office filling out the passport forms for her 16 year-old daughter Michalina.
Winnicka stated that she wanted a passport since the last expired. She also said that she wanted to be able travel abroad in case of an emergency.
When asked if she was afraid of the fighting across Poland’s border she replied, “Everybody is a little afraid today.”
Winnicka stated that while we all believe that NATO will protect us, each of us also recalls the history and (failed) alliances that were in place during World War II.
“Things can go wrong in many different ways.” She said that people in Poland are afraid of the unknown.
Anna Kwiatkowska (42), a mother of two said that a friend who works for a foreign company had told her family to have their passports and some money ready.
Kwiatkowska said, “So I will apply to passports to be done für my children,” adding that her children, aged 10 & 8, have never traveled abroad.
This is despite NATO, the former Eastern bloc country Poland being part of since 1999, strengthening its military presence near the Ukraine border in eastern Poland. It also stresses that it is fulfilling its mission to ensure Poland’s safety.
Russia’s attack on Sunday at Yavoriv, Ukraine’s military training center, rattled the confidence of Poles who live near the border. It also created anxiety for others, all too aware that Russia and the Soviet Union had held previous control over Poland’s territory. Nine people were killed Monday in a morning rocket attack against a TV tower in Antopol. The tower is located about 100 miles (160 km) from the Polish border.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that the attack was close to a refugee route into Poland and was also meant to “provoke panic among civils” fleeing from the “horrors associated with the war.”
Since February 24, 2004, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Poland has received over 1.8 million Ukrainian refugees. This includes nearly all children and women.
Morawiecki stated that the Yavoriv attack as well as those on civilians were meant to “destroy this humanitarian effort…of help being offered innocent people, women and children.”
Marcin Przydacz (Polish deputy foreign minister) said that he doesn’t believe Russia, which he stated “visibly isn’t coping in Ukraine”, would attempt an attack on any NATO country.
He stressed that “one should always be careful and we are being cautious.”
People living in Warsaw in central Poland were acutely aware of the threat from Eastern bloc countries that were, like Poland, once under the Soviet Union’s control for over four decades following World War II.
Emilia Gancarz, a 61-year old retiree, said that she and her family have been safe so far.
She said that war is not something she wants to experience, and she has been stocking up on canned goods, dried food, and nuts in preparation.
She mentioned that some of her friends have purchased small solar panels in case of power outages.
Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski urged calm.
“We all keep an eye on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. We don’t panic if he doesn’t panic. Let’s not panic. Trzaskowski stated that there is no need to panic at a news conference.
“Officially, people ask questions – what happens if a rocket goes off course? We also wonder what happens if there is an attack by chemical weapons. There is no panic. We feel secure. Trzaskowski stated that we have the very important assurances of President Joe Biden and Secretary General NATO, as well as other NATO friends… who visit us every day.”
Some Poles are trying to influence the public opinion in Russia and Belarus. They block the road from the Polish border crossing to Belarus with Ukrainian blue-and yellow flags and stop trucks with Russian or Belarusian plates. According to Poland’s private TNV24, they inform drivers about the Russian forces’ targeting of civilians in Ukraine. However, drivers either deny it or say that they are simply going about their business.
Residents of Wielkie Oczy in Poland, a small village just over a mile (2 km) from Ukraine were woken by the Yavoriv attack on Sunday morning and their dogs barking. They could see the glowing smoke and explosions from their balconies.
Later, they flocked to the Roman Catholic church to share their experiences and find comfort among neighbors.
The entire family was in shock. Lucyna Lesicka, 56, said that we were afraid.
The Rev. Jozef Florek (priest at Immaculate Conception Church) expressed their concern. “If it is only bells and not explosions that wake us up, then we’re safe. Although I’m not a prophet, we had bombs fall not far from us today which woken us up.