Starosta on Russia’s Attack on Ukraine, Accepting Refugees and Poles’ Access to Weapons

If the conflict escalated, Bolesławiec County would be able to accept even several hundred refugees from Ukraine. That is a large number of people who would need to be fed and accommodated. We ask the county head whether county investments would be put at risk and whether Polish men and women should have easier access to weapons.

A record of the conversation with Tomasz Gabrysiak, head of Bolesławiec County.

Grażyna Hanaf: – We woke up this morning in such a difficult reality. When did you learn about the attack, and what were your first emotions and thoughts?

Tomasz Gabrysiak: – To be honest: enormous surprise. Admittedly, media reports appearing in recent days, in recent hours, said that this would most likely happen, but each of us had this feeling that such a thing was surely impossible in the modern world. That we are in the twenty-first century. That there are various international organizations, that there is the UN, that this is no longer a time when one neighbor invades another. It turned out that it is nevertheless possible, despite the various diplomatic and other measures taken by the Western world. None of it helped. The Russians are in Ukraine.

– Ukrainians attacked today by Russian forces are also in Poland. There are many of them in Bolesławiec, and they work in Bolesławiec County. Do you have any information from them? Are they calling or asking questions? Are you reassuring them in any way, or are they receiving some kind of support?

Some of the Ukrainian citizens staying in our county have, in a sense, already settled here. They rent apartments and work. Today I took the liberty of checking the official data available to us. It shows that in 2021, more than 8,000 Ukrainian citizens passed through Bolesławiec County—we have confirmation that they were employed in our workplaces. That is almost 10% of the county’s population (our county has approximately 90,000 residents). No, they have not contacted us, at least not the County Office or me personally. I think they are also still in shock. Only a dozen or so hours have passed since the aggression—it began at 4 a.m.—so this is only the first day. We also do not really know the scale of this aggression, because the media reports are still very sparse.

– Are we prepared in the county—I know you spoke with the heads of the municipalities—for such a scenario: refugees? What does the situation look like? Do you expect a large number of refugees, and how many are we prepared to receive?

– To tell the truth, nobody knows what the scale might be, because we do not know the extent of this aggression or the plans of the Russian forces. Do they want to occupy only part of Ukraine or the whole country? Indeed, last week the voivode instructed me, as part of crisis management, to organize a meeting with representatives—that is, village heads, the mayor, the city president, and our services, including the police and sanitary inspectorate. The meeting was devoted to determining how many potential refugees we would be able to accept in our county, based of course on the facilities controlled by both the county and the municipalities of Bolesławiec County. I do not want to go into detail, because I think this information is somewhat sensitive, but our county has at least several hundred places available. This is connected with the fact that we must provide people who might come here not only with a roof over their heads, but also with food.

– Exactly, several hundred people. Where would they stay?

– This would be based on housing resources; schools would be a last resort. We have selected facilities with dormitory status, as well as various other buildings with sanitary facilities. We must also remember that we have several hotels and guesthouses. We want to use these facilities to help any Ukrainian citizens who arrive in our county because of the aggression against Ukraine. I know that the voivode put this question to all 26 counties in Lower Silesia. I suspect that the procedure is taking place in a similar way in other voivodeships. The goal was also to provide the basic necessities of life, namely food and hygiene products. I will not hide the fact that cooperation with the municipalities and services has already been developed to some extent. I would remind you that we faced a very similar situation at the beginning of the pandemic. You remember that there was nothing available: no hygiene products, no disinfectant, none of those basic supplies.

– It is good that the pandemic turned out to be useful in some way and that we can now use those skills. So I have a question about the future of county investments. Several hundred people need to be fed, accommodated and provided with utilities. How certain is it that funds will not be redirected, for example? Is this already being considered?

– Generally, tasks of this kind are the responsibility of the government, so state budget reserves will most likely be activated. Although the situation is new. Ladies and gentlemen, we have not had an armed conflict on the border of the Republic of Poland since 1945. This is extraordinary. I think the experience we already have and the steps taken in recent days allow us to look to the future calmly.

– It is good to know that; let us hope the authorities will help us. And what about people who own weapons in Bolesławiec County? Is there any contact with them? Can weapons be bought in stores?

– I think it is a little too early for a discussion about weapons. I hope we will not have to return to this subject, but indeed, I have heard that for some time there has been a problem on the market with purchasing ammunition and with the availability of weapons themselves. Such purchases have become quite popular. Is this specifically connected with the situation in Ukraine? Probably to some extent, yes, but I think it is more a problem of availability—in short, global demand is high. That is probably why deliveries are limited.

– And is there any contact with people who own weapons or have firearms permits?

– That is the police’s responsibility. The police supervise this. Firearms permits are generally issued by the provincial police commander—in our case, the Lower Silesian commander. Supervising how weapons are stored and whether safety rules are observed is the responsibility of the Bolesławiec County Police Headquarters.

– Do you support giving Poles access to weapons, for example in the same way as Americans have it, in situations that have suddenly arisen since 1945?

– Contrary to appearances, access to weapons in Poland is possible, provided that a person has no psychiatric or psychological problems and has not been convicted. There is a procedure for obtaining a firearms permit, and it is not particularly complicated. There are shooting associations and shooting sports clubs. One can become a weapons collector. Such an option exists, of course, provided that one has all the required certificates.

– Would you feel safer in this situation if you had a weapon or if you did not?

– To be honest, I have greater confidence that the Polish Armed Forces, together with our allies—that is, NATO members—will ensure our security. I think that civilians having to defend themselves personally would be an absolute extreme.

– Although that is an extreme situation. But I will return to the fact that we are a county with a large military presence. Can we feel safe because of that? American troops are stationed here.

– The fact that Poland is a NATO member and that units from other countries are stationed here in Poland, as well as in Lithuania and Estonia, certainly influences an aggressor’s decision about any possible expansion of the conflict. Ukraine’s situation is somewhat different because it is not a NATO member. It seems to me that the problem is the very fact that one neighbor decided to invade another.

– Do you think Russia is watching us more closely as a result? Bolesławiec and Bolesławiec County. Are we being monitored more closely? Could we perhaps be more frequently targeted by internet trolls spreading false information about the conflict? Do you have any knowledge or thoughts on this?

– I think this may be a factor in greater interest in the area, but I think it probably applies equally to this entire part of Europe. In reality, we also do not know what the plans of the president of Russia and his army are. We do not really know what he wants to achieve today or what the aggression is intended to accomplish.

– There is no doubt that disinformation from Russia, which has been circulating online for a long time, is quite a powerful weapon. Do you have any advice for residents of Bolesławiec County when browsing internet forums? What should they pay attention to, what should they avoid, and what should they not forward, for example?

– Above all, we must exercise basic caution. It seems to me that this is not only related to the situation we are in now. In general, the internet is full of dangers, and we should approach every message we read quite critically, preferably check it against reliable sources and verify it. We certainly should not pass such information on hastily. We have local portals and nationwide portals. In principle, we can verify any piece of information within a few moments, determining whether it is fake news or whether someone is actually trying to mislead us.

– So we should not panic, but we can do something—for example, avoid passing on false information once we have verified it. Should we feel safe in Bolesławiec and in the county?

– I am convinced that today we can sleep peacefully; nothing threatens us. What is happening in Ukraine is, of course, a terrible threat and an entirely new situation. But I also hope that the international pressure now being brought to bear on Russia will produce a tangible result. Our security is not at risk.

– Thank you very much for this conversation and for your time. I thank our viewers for listening, and let us stand together during this difficult time.

– I wish you peace, and I hope that in the coming days the information you, among others, will pass on to the residents of the county will be better.