CHICAGO (WLS) — Two Polish citizens are dead after what Poland’s Law and Justice Ministry calls an “explosion,” though the source is still unknown.
The blast in the tiny rural town of Przewodow that sits just on the Poland’s border with Ukraine instantly triggered international alarm about the possibility of a Russian missile landing on NATO territory.
The Chicago area is home to the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw and the news of a deadly explosion near the Polish-Ukrainian border ricocheted quickly.
“Everyone is freaked out. Everyone is worried because there’s a lot of us here from that part of Poland,” said Jola Sintoca, Chicagoan.
“Everyone is very afraid how this whole situation will start developing,” said Walter F. Bockenek, vice president of the Polish American Congress – Illinois Division.
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“It’s so fresh and we haven’t had an opportunity even to reflect on this whole issue, but I’m certain the folks that have heard about it are thinking about this right now and thinking, ‘What’s the next step? What’s going to happen?'” said Frank Spula, president of Polish American Congress & Polish National Alliance. “I think I we have to wait and see. Gather intelligence, gather the facts before any comments are made.”
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Newly re-elected Senator Tammy Duckworth, who is also a combat veteran, urged similar patience, saying “my focus is on ensuring we know all the facts and that our nation does everything we can to immediately coordinate with Poland to determine how we can support our NATO ally.”
“The western world’s military superpowers are now investigating what happened, and how to respond.
I think there will be a response. Once more data is actually found and confirmations can be made as to what happened. Was it a real Russian bomb that hit the Polish community?” Spula said.
The uncertainty and sense of violation is now all too familiar to the Ukrainian American community in Chicago, and tonight they’ve found another common bond with their Polish friends.
“We are neighbors. We are good neighbors. When tough times come we know who’s our friend and who is the enemy,” said Ukrainian American Yuriy Soroka.
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