Volodymyr Zelenski warns that Russian strikes left Ukraine before winter with virtually destroyed heat energy. This is not just a drama of a country fighting Russia. For Poland this means the hazard of further migration pressure, higher aid costs and the request to keep a close eye on your own safety.
Energy became Russia's weapon
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenski during his visit to Belgrade said that Ukraine enters another wartime winter with virtually no undamaged CHP plants. According to Anadol, after a joint conference between Zelenski and Aleksandar Vuszci, the talks besides active energy, infrastructure and winter preparation. Russia knows where to hit. The goal is not only soldiers, but average life: heating, electricity, water, schools, hospitals.
It's a method of state terror, not a side cost of war. Moscow has been trying to break the resilience of society in Ukraine for months by hitting critical infrastructure. The authoritative website of the president of Ukraine has already cited Zelenski's words that There is not a single power plant in Ukraine that would not be damaged by Russian attacks. It shows the scale of the problem. Not a temporary breakdown, but a systemic demolition of the back of the state.
The Polish border cannot be treated as a safety valve
For Poland this information is of direct importance. If winter brings long breaks in heating and electricity, any people will again search a safer place outside the country. That's how war works. There is no request to deprive anyone of dignity to say clearly: the Polish state must have a plan, budget and control of this process.
UNHCR reported that in 2026 it remained abroad 5.9 million refugees from Ukraine and 3.7 million people were internally displaced. It's immense numbers. Poland has already made a large social, financial and organisational effort. Aid was a reaction of solidarity towards victims of Russian aggression, but solidarity does not release the government from the bill. On the contrary. Each liable authority must know how many places in schools, how many doctors, how many apartments and what money are available.
DN late wrote that Poland's relations with Ukraine must be based on reciprocity. It's not the cold of the heart. It's hard state realism. Poland cannot become an automatic social base of war, in which the bill always falls on the payer and political decisions are made elsewhere.
UN study shows the degree of the damage
Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine at OHCHR described Russian energy attacks between 1 December 2025 and 31 May 2026. According to the report, Russian forces systematically hit energy objects and attacks damaged or destroyed components of power generation, transmission and distribution. The paper besides indicates that accidents have frequently affected millions of civilians, forced power outages, disrupted water supply, schools and wellness protection, and any people forced them to leave their homes.
This is simply a war against the resilience of the nation. Russia understands that the state can be weakened not only with a rocket to the barracks. It can be done through a cold apartment, a dark staircase, a infirmary working on a generator and a train station full of people who don't know where to wait out next month.
Poland should learn its own lesson from this. Energy, air defense, fuel supplies, railway infrastructure, hospitals and crisis administration are not an addition to the state. They are a condition of sovereignty. The 1 who does not have them becomes a hostage of another people’s force or aid at the time of trial.
Helping but Not Losing Subjectivity
You can't confuse 2 things. Ukraine defends itself against Russia and this is in the Polish interest of security. The further from our borders Russian force is stopped, the better for Poland. But the national interest besides requires a fair definition of the limits of its own capabilities. The Polish State is obliged to aid wisely, not on autopilot.
If there is simply a fresh wave of departures from Ukraine in the coming months, Warsaw must talk the language of specifics: registration, clear rules of stay, control of benefits, EU co-financing, obligations on the part of arrivals and safety of local communities. Local governments, schools and hospitals can't be left alone due to the fact that individual in the government wants to look good at a press conference.
At the same time, Poland must defender military and energy support for Ukraine so as not to shake its own resources. We've already written that Patriots alone will not solve Ukrainian air defence problem. The same applies to humanitarian aid. A good heart without a strategy rapidly turns into helpless.
Rate for Poles
The safety of Polish families and the resilience of the Polish state are at stake. If Ukraine survives the winter, Russia will not accomplish the political goal. However, if the energy crisis translates into a mass population movement, Poland will be the first country to feel the effects.
That's why we request little moralizing and more planning. Assistance to victims of Russian aggression must go with national interest protection. The border is to be controlled. The budget is to be counted. The rules are to be clear. This is the way a state does not renounce solidarity, but it does not quit control in the hands of others.
Sources: president of Ukraine's authoritative website, Anadol, OHCHR, UNHCR, It's advanced time.
Source: High Time!
