Two Poles have been killed in what has been described as an “explosion” by the Polish Ministry of Law and Justice. The explosion in Przewodow, a small Polish village on the Ukrainian border, caused immediate and widespread concern that a Russian missile might land on NATO territory.
It didn’t take long for word of a devastating explosion near the Polish-Ukrainian border to spread to the Chicago area, which has the largest Polish community outside of Warsaw. “Vice President of the Polish American Congress in Illinois, Walter F. Bockenek, observed, “Everyone is really frightened how this whole scenario will start growing.”
Frank Spula, president of the Polish American Congress & Polish National Alliance, said, “It’s so fresh, and we haven’t even had an opportunity to reflect on this whole issue, but I’m certain the folks that have heard about it are thinking about this right now and wondering, ‘What’s the next step? What’s going to happen?'” Before making judgments, I believe it is best to wait and collect more information.
Superpowers in the West are looking into what happened and how to react
In a similar vein, newly re-elected Senator and war veteran Tammy Duckworth counseled calmly, saying, “my focus is on ensuring we have all the facts and that our nation does everything we can to immediately collaborate with Poland to determine how we can support our NATO friend.”
Once additional information is uncovered, and confirmations can be made as to what happened—was it a real Russian bomb that hit the Polish community—I believe a reaction will be made. “It was Spula who remarked.
Ukrainian Americans in Chicago have the same experience as their Polish neighbors this evening—the unpredictability and feeling of being violated. “When bad times arrive, we know who’s our friend and who’s our enemy,” stated Ukrainian American Yuriy Soroka.
