Poland reopens Cold War bunkers and sends air raid alerts

Poland is officially at peace, but its authorities are preparing for the possibility of war. In Lublin, a Cold War bunker built in the 1980s has been refurbished and reopened as tensions with Moscow rise again. It can hold 200 people for up to 72 hours during an aerial attack. The bunker has a decontamination area, first aid supplies, a kitchen with hot plates and a fridge, separate sealed halves behind thick blue doors, water tanks, air supply and electricity. The refurbishment cost around 300,000 pounds. The city says the risk may be growing and that it is trying to prepare for all needs.

The bunker is part of a wider civil defence push. Poland now has nearly 90,000 places of shelter nationwide. They are marked with a new standard sign and can be found through phone apps. Some are purpose-built. Others are underground car parks or basements. Rooftop sirens are ready to sound the alarm. They were used last month because of airspace incursions. In July a stray missile crashed to the ground. Poland sees these incidents as part of a deliberate Russian strategy to destabilise Ukraine's NATO allies. Polish aircraft have been scrambled repeatedly as Russian attacks near the border continue.

The alert system is active beyond military bases. During reporting, phones received alerts warning of Russian air attacks in Ukraine from about 50 miles from the border. An hour later a message said the threat had passed. Authorities are also dealing with a rise in suspected sabotage, including a fire at a Starlink satellite station in September.

Jacek Siewiera, former head of Poland's National Security Bureau, warned in 2023 that NATO had three years to prepare for confrontation with Russia. He said he now feels that moment is approaching. He accused Russia of using Polish territory as a laboratory and experimenting with different methods of attack. He expects more such activity and said Russia will choose a surprising way of attack.

NATO's top commander told the Warsaw Security Forum that the alliance would respond robustly if attacked. He said NATO would block and blunt any attack and, if it did not cease, break the forces carrying it out. Siewiera set out two red lines for grey zone warfare. The first is the loss of life of European citizens. The second is direct attribution, with an official Russian admission of responsibility. He said that would be the moment of open confrontation.

On the border, the war already feels close. In Dorohusk, Russian drones came down barely a mile away last month. The explosions could be heard and felt in the village. The mayor said life had been normal but reality changed when the drones exploded, and that people now feel anxiety and fear. At the local school, children took cover in a basement cloakroom. The headteacher, Yaroslav, has turned it into a permanent shelter. Pupils now get air raid alerts daily and safety is a regular classroom topic. The headteacher said younger children found it harder and a few started crying. People are living day by day, unsure what might happen in an hour. Poland is not at war yet, but it does not feel like peace either.