“We are not exaggerating,” replied Mikolaj, a resident of the city of Lodz, very close to the town of Biaa Góra, in the center of the country, where remains of Russian drones were found.
“If those drones flew here, 160 miles from the border with Belarus, one would think that it was not an error or malfunction,” he stressed.
Indeed, the Polish Government closed the airspace in the extreme northeast of the country after detecting the incursion of some 20 Russian drones, which entered Polish territory through Belarus, an ally of Russia.
Days later, Poland briefly closed part of its airspace again after alleging “unplanned military activity”, while Russia launched a new wave of attacks against Ukraine.
In fact, fighter planes from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) were deployed and air defense units were put on alert in the early hours of Sunday the 28th, as reported by the Polish Operational Command in an official message.
These developments highlight rising tensions in the region as diplomatic efforts to resolve Russia’s invasion of Ukraine falter, raising fears that a broader conflict will spill over into Europe.
However, the flow of tourists to Poland is increasing and places the country among the 20 most visited in the world. Here you can see great pride in history, safety in the streets and much to admire.
Background
Yes, there is a certain degree of concern and it is not in vain. History records multiple invasions and occupations of Polish territory in 500 years: The Mongols, the Teutonic Knights, the Holy Roman Empire, the Bohemian Hussites, Kievan Rus, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
The Nazi occupation was particularly painful: destroyed cities, overcrowding of Jews, concentration camps and gruesome exterminations.
The Soviet Union expelled the Nazis from Poland and a pro-Moscow government was established in the country after the departure of the Soviet Army in 1945. Four decades later, after a long libertarian process, promoted by the Solidarity trade union movement and the subsequent call for free elections, the new Polish parliament abolished the power of the Polish United Workers Party in 1989. The peaceful transition from a communist totalitarian state to a liberal democracy was completed.
A year later, in 1990, the country experienced its first free presidential elections, which were won by the leader of Solidarity, Lech Walensa.
At that time, the Soviet Union was experiencing its chapter of disintegration that ended the hegemony of the Communist Party of the USSR and the beginning of an encouraging democratic process, which later succumbed to worrying changes until the establishment of a restrictive and repressive power, which today is headed by Vladimir Putin, and seems to awaken the old legend of the imperial Russian bear.
“Whether they are tsarist Russians, Soviets or Russians again, they have the desire for empire in their blood,” said Mikolaj, who studied Diplomacy at Moscow State University in the 1960s, when Polish students were sent to the Soviet Union to train in the pro-Soviet international order.
“As a young Pole then, who had no choice but to accept what the communist dictatorship gave me, I learned the true essence of Soviet and Russian thought. It is simply to impose its principles, whether by force or through persuasion,” he argued.
“And that essence has not changed,” said Mikolaj, who today lives in ód, a city that learned from its industrial past and great tragedies during World War II to become a vibrant city after the establishment of democracy and the capitalist socioeconomic system.
Present
In Wroclaw, a slender city full of history and examples of restoration, concern is equally latent, although everyone goes about their daily lives as if nothing was happening.
“The bad memory of the war is indelible,” said Arek, who has a degree in History.
“The Nazis started the war with their invasions, and then the Soviets came here. Yes, they wanted to defeat the Nazis, but they bombed the city and destroyed about 80 percent of it,” he added.
Of course, many thank the Soviet Army for liberating them from the Nazis, but they repudiate the fact that they left behind a pro-Soviet government that took 44 years to overthrow.
Meanwhile, NATO allied military forces assure that they will respond “strongly” to any Russian attack on Poland.
A few days ago, when a reporter asked President Donald Trump if he would help defend Poland and the Baltic countries, the American president responded: “Yes, I would, I will.”
The United States, which has some 10,000 military personnel stationed in Poland, is considered the European country’s main security partner. In early September, during a visit to the White House by new Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Trump declared that he planned to send more US troops to Poland.
However, opinion on how to deal with a Russian invasion is very divided in Poland. Half of those who give their opinion believe that NATO will respond and defend the country. The other half does not feel safe and demands to be prepared and only trust the Poles.
“History teaches us that we have been practically alone in the face of all the invasions we have suffered. So the best thing is to count on yourself,” said Zuzanna, a native of Warsaw, the capital city that experienced the horror of war and destruction and today looks splendid after a long reconstruction.
Just 148 miles from the Ukrainian border, the beautiful city of Krakow is home to thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Some manage to advance with their respective professions and others occupy the jobs that keep restaurants and stores running.
“Seeing family and friends die and watching missiles hit the city is very hard,” said Kateryna, who arrived in Krakow two years ago when she lost her husband on the front lines and life in kyiv became unsustainable.
“I know that we think differently than the Russians, but I don’t quite understand how it is possible that those who were our brothers until yesterday could hit us today,” he noted.
Objectivity
President Nawrocki stated categorically before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 23, “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not only the most serious conflict in Europe since World War II, but also a turning point. The current international order is crumbling before our eyes.”
And he added: “We find ourselves at a historical turning point, at a time when decisions made today will have consequences for decades to come. We must be aware of this. Therefore, as a community of democratic states, we must consider the current situation as a principled battlefield, the response to which can determine the future of our civilization.”
He concluded: “Silence encourages the persecutor, never the persecuted. Let these words be not only a warning, but also a call to action. To action, here and now.”
