Poland’s foreign minister stocks rice and homemade jam as country prepares for potential crises
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski says he has stocked up on rice and homemade jam, keeps a manual water pump at home and has identified where to take shelter as Poland urges citizens to prepare for potential emergencies amid growing security concerns over Russia.
“I have supplies of rice, a manual pump at home, and I’ve also made jam from fruit from my own garden,” Sikorski told Polish newspaper Fakt. “I have a safety guide, and I’ve already thought about where the shelter is.”
Sikorski said Polish citizens had received government safety guidance and should follow official recommendations and “be prepared.” He also encouraged people to learn basic first aid, including how to apply a bandage.
The foreign minister said Poland has faced Russian hybrid threats, including cyberattacks targeting hospitals, the financial system and government institutions, with the number of such incidents increasing recently.
Asked about the possibility of an armed conflict between Russia and a NATO country, Sikorski said the current situation bore some resemblance to the period before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“I don’t want to exaggerate, but back then the Russians were also saying, ‘No, no, we have no bad intentions,’ while our sources in the Alliance were telling us they were planning something bad,” Sikorski said. “So, just like then, we tell them: ‘Don’t do it. We know you’re planning something, and you won’t succeed - just as you failed to capture Kyiv in three days.’”