Poland’s defense minister says he has an ’emergency backpack’ in case of war and urges people to get one too

Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said in an interview published on Thursday by the daily Rzeczpospolita that he has prepared an “emergency backpack” in case of an unforeseen situation or war and encouraged his fellow citizens to do the same, EFE and Agerpres.

The minister also announced the construction of a network of bunkers and shelters in the Polish regions on the border with Belarus, as well as the strengthening of the border wall that was built there less than a year ago and which stretches for 186 kilometers.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said that when he traveled to Ukraine as part of a parliamentary delegation shortly after the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, he made the decision to prepare an “emergency backpack” with a battery-powered radio , a flashlight, matches, a first aid kit and food for two days, according to the recommendations of the Government Security Center.

“I still prepared it,” the minister emphasized, “and I advise the Poles to do the same, because it is a good thing in case of natural disasters or unexpected events.”

“I don’t want to scare anyone, but just as parents always prepare a bag of baby clothes when expecting a new born (…) we must be prepared for any situation,” he insisted.

The Polish minister also spoke about the “risk situation” and threat to NATO’s flanks

The head of defense, who is also the vice-president in the Polish government, also referred to the “risk and threat situation” facing, in his opinion, the eastern and northern flanks of Europe and stressed the need to consider “unification” these two regions in NATO’s allied defense plans.

Kosiniak-Kamysz also commented on the case of a Polish judge who a few days ago requested political asylum in Belarus and whose circumstances are being investigated.

He described the magistrate as a “traitor” because, he said, “if someone willingly goes to a country that is not exactly the most brilliant democracy in the world, puts himself in the service of Russians and Belarusians and gives interviews , this means that they act to the detriment of the Polish state”.

His comments come after Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced on Tuesday that the Polish judge who sought asylum in Belarus, an incident that caused consternation in Poland and led to the opening of a spying investigation, had access to “classified” information.