The drone incident on the night of September 10th showed that people in Poland do not know what to do in a threatening situation. Air defense also showed shortcomings. That is why the government in Warsaw now wants to organize better preparation in the event of a crisis and is giving advice to the population in a special handbook. At the same time, thousands of Poles are taking the initiative and practicing their reactions in order to be ready for a possible crisis situation, reports the German public broadcaster ARD.
Krzysztof Lis is a well-known prepper in Poland. He offers training, publishes videos on YouTube, and has also written a book. Interest in him has grown enormously since the drone incident. Lis also organizes demonstrations in one of Warsaw's parks - showing, for example, what a backpack with the most necessary things should include.
"The contents should correspond to our needs and our own strategy in case of a crisis", explains the prepper, quoted by ARD. "But there are also things that should always be inside - for example, non-perishable food, dried fruit, powdered energy drinks and water filters."
High demand for backpacks with the most necessary things
The prepper explains that a backpack with the most necessary things should contain what is needed for the first 24 hours - for the escape from home to the shelter. He also recommends taking a flashlight with a generator, a compass and a poncho that can be stretched between two trees, the German public media reports.
The demand for such backpacks in Poland is currently so great that even supermarkets have temporarily included them in their assortment. Specialized websites also offer special backpacks at prices between 128 and 700 euros, depending on the size.
100 calls a day from concerned Poles
Since September 18, Poland has also had a program that prepares people for an emergency. "Secure Poland" airs every morning from 9 to 12 on the public media TVP. And every day people call the phone there who are worried about their safety, ARD writes. They receive explanations from experts from the military and the interior ministry. This is a joint initiative of TVP and the government.
The idea for the show arose after Russian drones flew over Polish airspace and the danger became tangible, says TVP news chief Grzegorz Sayor. Junior Commander Lukasz Lewandowski, who was invited to the studio that day, explains: "We need to explain the situation to people, we need to educate them. The historical and political basis is as it is. We should not be afraid, but be prepared".
How long this show will be broadcast depends on the development of the threat situation. Currently, an average of 100 people are calling per day.
All households receive a crisis advice guide
Along with a strong army and strong allies, there must also be a strong, well-informed civil society, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Władysław Kościńska-Kamiś emphasized last week. That is why the government is sending a crisis advice guide to all 13 million households by mail. The guide is also available in digital form. The 50-page brochure is intended to explain to citizens how to behave in various crisis situations.
"It is not only about the most serious catastrophe, i.e. in the event of war, but also about natural disasters such as floods, in which evacuations must be undertaken. We are doing this so that everyone is prepared," Koszyniak-Kamysh said, quoted by ARD.
The Minister of Defense recommends that children be included in the preparation with the start of the new school year. Every family should have its own crisis plan, part of which should be a list of the most important phone numbers, addresses and medications. They should also be saved on a flash drive.
From today's perspective, all this seems insanely distant, says Koszyniak-Kamysh, but he recalls Russia's attack on Ukraine in February 2022. "When millions of people in Ukraine had to leave their homes overnight, most were absolutely surprised. The manual was made for this reason - to be prepared for any crisis situation."
Intimidation through armament
One strategy is to prepare the population through explanations. The other: massive armament and more support from NATO. Recently, during the exercise "Iron Defender-25" the Polish military and NATO allies showed all their capabilities.
With its more than 200,000 soldiers, Poland wants not only to be the third largest army in NATO, but also to be among the three best NATO armies in terms of combat capability, said Kościńska-Kamiś. That is why Poland has bought hundreds of new tanks, howitzers and missile systems. With 4.7 percent of GDP allocated to defense, the country ranks first in Europe, and by 2026 the percentage should increase to 4.8. Currently, the Polish army is focusing mainly on improving air defense and protection against drones.
Author: Łukasz Tomaszewski (ARD)