The RCB Alert is a new SMS-based system to notify the public of dangers. It is used only in exceptional cases when there is a high likelihood of direct threat to life or health across a significant area. The RCB Alert is issued based on information about potential dangers received from ministries, agencies like the police, fire brigade, border guard, central offices and institutions such as the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, as well as regional authorities. The Government Centre for Security monitors the situation for various threats 24/7 and activates the Alert if necessary.
The RCB alerts to Poles living near the border with Ukraine were sent only after 7 a.m. The spokesperson for the MSWiA, Karolina Gałecka, explained why this decision was made. Her words shocked even the journalists present at the press conference. Gałecka stated that the alerts were not sent earlier because… they didn’t want to scare citizens. “If I myself received such a warning, I would think I had to pack up my children and flee the country,” she added.
“An RCB alert is always issued, and the decision to send it is made when there is a threat to life and health. Please imagine that we send such an alert to a resident at 2 or 3 in the morning. Have you considered what the reaction of half the society might be, when there was no need to flee, evacuate, or leave the house?” replied the MSWiA spokesperson to a journalist’s question about why the RCB distributed the alerts so late.
“Such an alert would cause complete panic among part of the population of Poland, and an exaggerated reaction driven by emotions,” Gałecka shot back.
She went on to say that if she herself had received such a warning, she would have thought she had to pack her children and flee the country.
During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Operational Command of the Armed Forces reported that during the Russian Federation’s attack on Ukraine, Polish airspace had been repeatedly violated by drones.
Referring to this situation, the MSWiA spokesperson stated that after the violation of Polish airspace, as of 11 a.m., the services had found the remains of seven drones and the remains of an unidentified missile.
She informed that drone debris was found in the following locations: Cześniki, Czosnówka, Wyryki (a drone and a damaged building), Krzywowierzba Kolonia, Wohyń, Mniszków, and Olesno. The remains of the missile were found in Wyhalew.
The MSWiA spokesperson emphasized that the situation is dynamic and further reports of additional findings may still come in.