Poles calm but wary after explosion near Ukrainian border

WARSAW

Asked about the weekend missile explosion on Polish territory, Poles on the streets of Warsaw combined a traditional wariness of Russian antics and an equally traditional Polish resolve to stick to the facts before reacting.

But there are also tangible and understandable jitters.

“I am a mother and thinking about my daughter and how it will be in the future,” says 30-year-old Martyna Rusak. “I am a little but scared to be honest because we don’t know what will happen. I think we should live in peace and not in war. Ukraine is very close to us and yes, it scares me, just scares me, that’s all,” she says.

Others were more sanguine.

“I am maybe a little worried, but I don’t like to worry about the future if it’s not certain and I am reacting to things that are in present days,” says Nikodem Miezinski.

“I think the government’s reaction was appropriate because they were waiting a few hours to know a lot more about the catastrophe,” Nikodem added.

Some though talked of Russian provocation.

“As everyone here, I was shocked,” says Marcin Scigala. “Historically, I think we can take a lot of lessons. Maybe it's a provocation or it’s checking how far Russia can go and what will be the reaction of Poland and Europe,” Marcin says.

SveItlana, a Ukrainian woman in her 30s from Cherkasy in central Ukraine and living in Warsaw since 2017, said Russian President Vladimir Putin was unpredictable.

“Nothing that happens would surprise me,” she said. “Russians bombed all over Ukraine yesterday, so this was no surprise to me,” she said.

Rafal, a 25-year-old Varsovian, or resident of Warsaw, said Putin would have to be crazy to attack a farm.

“He would attack a city, probably if he were serious,” he said.

Lucas, a half-French, half-Polish man in his 20s, said he was certain it was an accident from the moment the first news came out on Tuesday.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday there is no indication that Tuesday’s explosion was an intentional attack on Poland and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the activation of NATO’s Article 4 would not be necessary.

The explosion happened at 3.40 p.m. local time on Tuesday in Przewodow, eastern Poland, a couple of kilometers from the Ukraine border.

An international investigation is ongoing.

The victims of the explosion were two men -- a farmer and an employee of the local grain plant. Both died on the spot.

Some witnesses report that just before the explosion, two falling objects were visible in the sky.

Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure facilities in western Ukraine this week, close to the border with Poland. The Russians attacked Kovel in Volhynia. The city, which is about 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the Polish-Ukrainian border, is without electricity.

“On the other side of the border is a railway junction. Perhaps this is what they were aiming at,” General Mieczyslaw Bieniek told commercial television channel TVN24.