Recently, abroad media have reported: military and political disputes over Ukraine are entering a hot phase. According to satellite data, Moscow has long been preparing for fresh mobilization. Russia's powerful armed forces are located north of the Baltic countries, about 250 km east of Helsinki.Tens of thousands of soldiers, pilots and sailors are stationed at the gates of the capital of Finland, the second youngest NATO member. Russian mobilization is besides a threat to the weakest point of Europe — the Suwałki gulf located at the Polish border with Lithuania. — Russia inactive wants to control the slide, which means attacking NATO territories “German journalists quote Viljar Veebel, a longtime defence investigator of the Baltic countries at the OECD and the Estonian National Defence College.
We went to the slide pass to hear with our own ears what the villagers said about the threat from the East.
"We have no fear that Russia will invade us. And even if it does, we will not run.”
The March afternoon in Suwałki is simply a cold aura. A fewer twelve minutes before dusk on the pedestrian street on Cool Street in the very centre of the city, the inhabitants are few. Singlely or in pairs with free treads between closely set bunk tenements with facades of pastel colors. At the end of the street, in the distance behind the monument Piłsudski and Suwalska concatenatedra shines the setting sun.
A close to forty - year - old father occasionally stops erstwhile he loses sight of a daughter who has late learned to walk. She stops all moment, due to the fact that all step she takes, something makes her curious. He's waving his mascot around. Her dad's walking slow. If he heard the alarm sirens now, he wouldn't know where to run to hide in the shelter. Nor does he see specified a request due to the fact that he does not believe in any armed attack on the city or region in which he lives.
A married couple who went to a coffee store by the footwalk for 2 slices of take-out cake doesn't believe the questions first. “We live in a village close Suwałk, and we have no fear that Russia will invade us. And even if that happens, we will not run distant — without fear the female says and tells the waitress the cheesecake she chose.
Her husband is simply a bit of a teaser that there should have been so many fights over this passage that the locals don't even respond to the next revelations of politicians and journalists. — It's just a game and scaring people. It's been a long time since we fell for this. — cuts the subject.
Cold pass
Cold connects Noniewicza street with Kościuszko – a parallel and main street in the city. Both are the most active branches of banks. There are large online shops and restaurants left. In Constitution Park 3 May, on the boulevards over Black Hańcza, or over the demolished waters of Arkadia Flood are empty. Sometimes individual slips through, pushed by a strong wind sucking his hair under his hat. And it is the next day. People are either at work, with regular regular errands, or they are buried in their homes, due to the fact that early in the morning is cold and snow falls, as it was in spring at the Polish pole cold.
An older man at the halt refuses to talk due to the fact that he “hears no questions.” However, the goodbye answer is understandable. 2 acquainted women are more likely to talk to each other.
— Nothing has bothered me or threatened me so far. You hear about this gulf, it's on TV, and I know it's close, and we might get picked up here, but there's nothing going on here, says a female with a bike. He laughs erstwhile asked about the nearest shelter. She doesn't know where they are, no one's informed her. She predicts that in the event of an emergency, she will be informed by a text from RCB.
Tomasz Jastrzebowski/Reporter / East NewsStation in the Suwałki Pass, at the border of Poland and Lithuania
Her friend talks about alarm sirens only in the event of celebrations of state holidays, although on 27 February this year in Suwałki were included sound devices in the strategy of common informing and alarm. Ladies on the armed attack, if the war isn't preparing, but any friends have heard they're preparing for an emergency. “I don’t have a packed backpack, possibly you request to think about putting money and papers in 1 place — a second, taller female in a warm hat interferes.
European Achilles Friday
The slide is simply a 65 km wide terrestrial corridor in the NATO name. extends along the borders of Poland and Lithuania around Suwalk, Augustów and Sejn. This area connects the Baltic countries with Poland and another NATO countries. It besides stands in the way of Russia's cut-off royal circuit and its allied Belarus.
If the pass were occupied by Russians, then NATO would not be able to supply the Baltic States by land, and Russia would have direct access to the Baltic Sea through Belarus and the Russian enclave of Köniwiec.
OneSludge
In military maneuvers According to the script, Russian and Belarusian military units simulated the war with NATO. More specifically, the conquest of the Suwałki gulf. September 2025 exercises are planned in the north-western part of Belarus, which one more time provokes the question of the sluice corridor, which will be placed on both sides, i.e. on the side of the royal and Grodzień region.
Minister of Defence of Belarus, General Wiktar Chrenin announced that the Zapad 2025 maneuvers would be the largest in past in terms of the number of soldiers to participate. As the Belarusian oppositionist Paweł Latusz observed in his interview with Onet, it will be an component threatening the safety of Ukraine and the countries neighbouring Belarus. More than 200 1000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers participated in the last exercises of Zapad 2021. The Belarusian side announced in February this year that in mid-September more than 13,000 soldiers would join the exercise.
In America, “they chose a psychopath”
Tuesday's sunny morning, jewelry store. 1 of the ladies about Putin's possible attack on the sloping pass doesn't even think. He lives close the border with Lithuania, close the Sejn. The second by the time the president of the United States was Joe Biden, she had no doubt. — It's different now due to the fact that the Americans chose a psychopath! We at work wonder what the planet is up to, that in specified a powerful country a younger and intelligent candidate cannot be found?! — Still, God’s Word does not let any attack to occur.
Both ladies don't have food supplies, they don't complete an evacuation backpack, and they don't know where to shelter in case of raids. — Own basement only — admits 1 and leaves the store. — We've got safety out there, but we don't know where or in what condition. “ The second wonders where all people will fit. “ It’s the soap of the eyes,” she says. The household doesn't talk about evacuation. The news follows, though rarely, to not go crazy.
— It is disturbing how Trump is playing Ukraine, but we cannot foretell what will and will not be affected — a mediate - aged female assures that she avoids media reports. “After Trump spoke to Zelenski, as he said he was a dictator, and he himself demanded thanks, I felt fear.
— He was not even in power then, why thank him?! Cash! Cash! It's all about money — her friend interferes. “ The more I see the news, the more I fear it. I effort not to watch besides much and live in peace.
President from business through politics
The old/new president of the United States, the largest associate State of the Western Defence Alliance, openly threatened to retreat his commitment to assist Ukraine.— If they don't pay, I won't defend them.said Donald Trump on 6 March. In February he named president Volodymyr Zelenski "dictator without election"and these are not the only phrases of the American administration's action against defending itself against Russia Ukraine.
— In my opinion, Trump is more pro Putin than Ukraine — you can hear in Suwałki. — I've got a basement, a canal in the garage too. “An older female laughs. “What else can we do erstwhile Putin can do anything? For now, let's live normal, function, or we'll change nothing.
Trump doesn't know what he wants. He's a businessman who does business on politics. It's a flag: erstwhile behind Ukraine, then behind Putin. He scares them with sanctions erstwhile in a while, he soothes them. People in the markets and the stock marketplace no longer know what to do — that is the opinion of a night store vendor.
— The Suwałki Pass case is artificially inflated and considered to scare people — Suwalczan about Russian troops being transferred to the King. “This is besides a good bogeyman, a KGB school and a manifestation of force. However, if Putin had specified strength, it would have been long after the war and after the Ukraine — a man who thinks he's playing a pass is the turning on of politicians themselves. “The West is more frightened than we are here. The decision makers beat each another and people are tired of it, he says calmly.
Raczki: The Union wants to scare us
Periphery. Almost 20 km from Suwałk, in Raczka, a village on the right bank of Rospuda, events behind our east border, or in the Russian enclave, people perceive differently, though not everyone. There are 6,000 people surviving in the municipality, more than 2,000 in Raczki alone. Among them are many mistrustful.
— What they say on the news is bullshit. In the royal circuit as empty, so empty. There's nothing behind Gołdap, and nothing happens, but smuggling through the side streets. It's not lost and it's never lost, transport's going — a salesman in his 40s laughs that the circuit is disarming, not arming.
Several people in the store who join the interview confirm that they see NATO army allies who regroup all fewer weeks between Lithuania and Poland. Predicting the seizure of the Suwałki Pass is simply a good thought of propaganda.
— The Union wants to scare us that Putin is so evil and cruel — 1 of the men reacts with fatigue that he must explain it. Putin did not invade Ukraine. Putin defends his people, his language, his nationality, due to the fact that there's a large mix. Similarly, they effort to convince us that Putin will attack us, he says.
Russia, a nation of chess players
What about Trump? “He is only for his business and business, he is an entrepreneur,” says a young female at the cash register.
Gentlemen, this is how Trump wants to deal with both sides. For any time, they have observed that prices jump upwards, oils and lubricants have gone up, more costly products from China, and what transportation is simply a higher invoice.
The nearest shelters are located in Augustów. In case of any attack, a young saleswoman will run distant due to the fact that she has small children. “But where?” asks the seller in his 40 ’ s. “No 1 in the planet will accept a Pole due to the fact that no 1 loves us. — he is convinced.
— And I'm not scared, there's NATO, and these swindles and rumors can be due to the fact that Trump is chaotic. People think that following Putin, all of this can happen, says an older man who is waiting to order in a local kebab booth. — Trump treats Ukraine like an animal. This is cunning, and in the end he does not know politics, but he is rebellious, like the second Putin, who will yet outsmart him anyway, due to the fact that he is simply a nation of chess players.
Civil defence on the Suwałki Pass
The city of Suwałki has developed defence procedures for the population – these are classified documents. There are 2 shelters in the city, intended only for their managers. They haven't been upgraded in over a twelve years.
For residents the administrators have 394 Hide kind II, i.e. for emergency preparation in case of request and these are cellars or underground garages, which mainly service as protection against radioactive rainfall. In these hidings, about 36,000 people can be sheltered. Since there are presently 65,000 601 inhabitants in Suwałki, about 53% of the population will be in hiding for immediate preparation.
Podlasie voivodship is liable for organizing defence matters throughout the region. In Suwałski district, all tasks in this area are performed by the politician and are included in the Operational Plan of Suwałski County.
Currently there are about 35 1000 people surviving in the district. 3 municipalities are straight adjacent to the border. The number of ad hoc shelters will let to safe more than 10% of the county's population. — There is surely a large problem at the minute with the deficiency of any protective structures that meet the required criteria,” says Onet Witold Kowalewski, an old slualist.
Alert and evacuation
The criteria are set out in the fresh civilian Protection and civilian Protection Act of 5 December 2024 and the Regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of 21 February 2025 on criteria for the designation of construction works or their parts as protective structures. As local authorities say, there are no implementing rules for the fresh law, so they plan to make fresh documentation.
The Act besides requires the improvement of fresh provincial evacuation plans on the basis of contributions prepared by presidents and mayors of cities, governors and mayors. The City Office in Suwałki has an evacuation plan and keeps it up to date. The city has an early informing strategy and an early alert system. "Their actions would follow the procedures developed, for example, the launch of alarm sirens, the transmission of SMS messages, the transmission of voice messages from alarm sirens, RCB alerts, radio and tv broadcasters' news channels" — supply local officials.
The region told us that also has a detection and alarm strategy and an early informing system at the level of the region and all its municipalities, the network of these alarm sirens is in constant modification and expansion. There is besides a plan to organize evacuation of the population and a plan to defend monuments.
Sejneński and Augustowski Districts have not answered our questions about civilian protection organization in their municipalities.
***
The civilian Protection and civilian Defence Act entered into force on 1 January 2025. It is intended to address all issues related to coordination of actions in the event of various threats: wars, disasters, accidents or natural disasters.
On this basis, in April this year, sub-level local authorities will be trained in methods of effective management in emergency situations, with emphasis on applicable activities with analysis of decision-making processes in hard situations. Organizing training, exercises and educational actions is the work of the voivodes.
In fresh days the Ministry of abroad Affairs has transmitted over PLN 7.4 million for modernization and integration of the alarm strategy in Podlaskie Voivodeship. The task of the Podlaskie Provincial Office assumes the exchange of 50 alarm sirens into modern ones (most of them are in Białystok), the construction of six fresh emergency control panels and the acquisition of 25 devices for measuring radioactive contamination. The modernisation work is due until 2027. It'll start on July 1st. The investment will consume over PLN 8.2 million.
