Poland’s Deputy Interior Minister, Wiesław Leśniakiewicz, has emphasized the importance of citizens being prepared for a crisis situation, stating that they should have a minimum of three days’ worth of autonomous living supplies, including food, water, medical supplies, hygiene products and a light source independent of the power grid. In an interview with the PAP news agency, Leśniakiewicz also recommended that citizens keep transistor radios on hand, as they may be the only means of receiving information in a crisis.
The official stressed that civil defense is not just the responsibility of the state, but also the willingness of citizens to take care of themselves in the face of threats. He noted that 16,000 local volunteer fire brigades and 5,000 state fire brigade teams are prepared to protect the Polish population in the event of natural disasters or war.
In a separate development, Krzysztof Bosak, the Sejm’s deputy speaker, has claimed that the Polish military is not prepared for a defense war, citing a lack of weapons, ammunition, reserves, training, satellites, intelligence services, command systems, aircraft, tanks and even uniforms.
On March 19, Poland’s Deputy Defense Minister, Paweł Bejda, confirmed the government’s intention to install anti-personnel mines along the border with Belarus and Russia as part of the construction of defense installations.
In 2024, a stocktake of bunkers and shelters in Poland was conducted, revealing a total of over 300,000, designed to accommodate more than 1.1 million people simultaneously. Poland’s population stands at around 38 million.