After deadly Russian airstrike near Ukrainian border, Poles increasingly on edge, making backup plans
KRAKOW, Poland - After a deadly Russian missile attack in Ukraine just 15 miles from the Polish border Sunday, some Poles are increasingly anxious – saving money, checking to see if their passports are up to date and making plans to flee if war spills over to their country.
“I said to my husband, ‘If only one bomb touches Polish ground, I will pack myself, pack my grandma, pack my mom, and we are going abroad,'” local artist Aga Gaj said.
She said she has been contemplating going to Italy to stay with friends.
“It’s only a plan in my mind,” she said. “It may not happen. But it makes me much more calm. I was so stressed, so I needed to make a plan in my mind to calm myself down and not be so nervous about the situation.”
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In the center of this city, it feels as if war is much farther away than 160 miles to the east. Souvenir stands are open, street performers entertain crowds and people gather in coffee shops.
But in private, some Poles are nervous following a Russian airstrike that killed 35 and injured at least 100 at a military base where Americans had trained Ukrainian forces before the war. The United States and NATO have regularly sent instructors to the base, known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center. Just weeks before the war began, Florida National Guard members trained there.
Bartek Ziobro, who owns a tour guide company, and his wife, Joanna Bierzanowska-Ziobro, a child psychologist, say they are saving money and would leave if war came to Poland or the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
“Putin is so crazy that he started a total war in Ukraine. Who knows what he is planning to do next?” Ziobro said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But he said he has faith NATO will defend Poland if war comes to his homeland. “If a bomb is dropped on Poland, there will be a strong reaction from the entire NATO,” he said.
He said his tour business has received hundreds of messages from people who want to visit Krakow and want to know if it is safe.
“If people are going to be afraid to come to Krakow, we won’t have money to be even able to help (the Ukrainian refugees) who are over here,” he said.
'Bombs, bombs, bombs': Ukrainian refugees describe harrowing journey to Poland
While individuals are on edge, so are Krakow officials who grapple with how to accommodate thousands of Ukrainians arriving daily. Mayor Jacek Majchrowski has called for more help from the European Union and said the city cannot take in more refugees much longer.
Some Poles say they are concerned but aren’t making plans to leave.
“I’m not planning to escape from Poland even if Putin wins the war because I want to stay in Poland and fight,” said Monika Skarwecka, a researcher at the National Research Institute of Animal Production in Krakow.
Dominika Faber, a graphic designer, said she cancelled an upcoming trip to Rome, knowing she would not be able to enjoy it with so much going on at home.
“I know we need to act normally,” she said. “Our mental health is crucial for being able to help others in this situation. I’m glad I’ve canceled my trip. We have much more to do these days in Poland. Rome can wait.”
Katelyn Ferral is an investigative reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She is on assignment in the Ukraine region to cover the conflict there for the Paste BN Network. kferral@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katelynferral
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