Recently, Polish government, in just six weeks, introduced very important provisions regarding the Polish army, including regulation introducing compulsory mobilization to military exercises for all men between 19 and 60 years old. This provision also includes reservists who never went into army. In this year, 15 to 21 thousand Poles will be sent to military exercises. Even those who have never held a gun in their hands.
Also, in connection with the dramatic economic situation in Ukraine, Ukrainians escape to Poland and look here for any job. Poland, in the context of ‘forward reaching reforms’ in Ukraine (as George Soros says in this interview,) is presented by Dr. Brzezinski as an icon of success, an example for Ukraine. About this Polish ‘success’ and if Poland is ready for independent war with Russia, I talk with the founder of the European Centre for Geopolitical Analysis dr. Mateusz Piskorski.
– Is there any chance for a change in Polish narrative promoted also by dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, that Poland needs to defend itself and prepare for the upcoming Russia attack?
60 percent of Poles do not participate in the elections – in any election. Either self-government or presidential. 80 percent of Poles do not participate in elections to the European Parliament, approximately 20 – 30% did not participate in the elections for many, many years. There are those who do not participate in the election since they received voting rights. It means that there is a huge group of people that needs a new formula on the Polish political scene.
We will organize a mass exodus of friendship trains to Moscow. Poles will be able to go and ask Russians, if Russia will invade us or not – this is obviously a joke. Fortunately, we have a beautiful, though sometimes detrimental Polish national character. Pole, at some point, when arguing that black is white and white is black will be too intrusive, reject the propaganda. I already see the first signs of what is happening. Let us take, for example, comments under any article on the internet about Polish Eastern policy. We have about 60 – 70 percent of the comments that say clearly that people are tired of the Polish government’s propaganda line, that they are enough of scaring us about the third world war.
– Dr. Brzezinski sometimes shows Poland as an example of successful reforms. Is Poland really a country, which Ukraine should follow in their reforms?
In Poland, we are dealing with Precariat, people who have 2 or 3 jobs, but they really work like slaves. And despite the fact that they work from morning to night, they cannot reach the social minimum. These are the people who do not go to the cinema, do not go for a trip because they simply cannot afford it. And besides, they are working all the time, having a job, in which they are not entitled to go on holiday because they have junk contracts.
More and more, people begin to understand that this story about the third world war and mobilization is intended to divert attention from the real problems of society.
People in Poland are starting to work to have food and a roof over their head, as labourers because they are completely desperate. Then, we are surprised that we have 16 suicides per day – it’s much more than being killed in car accidents. This is one of the major causes of death in Poland.
– How do you assess the situation in Ukraine after the US has officially started shipping heavy equipment to Ukraine?
This conflict in Ukraine will continue for many years. It will be conflict with the participation of professionals. Cannon fodder is sent as conscripts – young guys who want to escape from Ukraine. Some of them are now in Poland. These are people who are without any training. Very often, without any weapons. They are not people from private military corporations, who are fighting as mercenaries in Ukraine and who are well armed, getting a huge amount of money for it. These are the people really used as cannon fodder. People who do not get the equipment and even food rations. I know one case, in which the Ukrainian officers were selling Kalashnikovs the other side to earn the money. This is not a normal country anymore. It’s one of the great pyramid of corruption, from a constable to the president.
When the US troops will get to Poland, we will welcome them. We already are preparing for them a dignified welcome. We will be handing out the leaflets in English with a very simple message – ‘We do not want you here’. So they won’t feel too comfortable here. They probably will show these leaflets to their commanders. This is a social movement, peaceful dissent.
– Does Poland have a chance not to be cannon fodder in case of escalation of the conflict in Ukraine?
If the Russian Federation decided to go for a war with Poland, I am afraid that Poland would not last two days. We rather cannot count on our so-called allies, as history teaches us. Poland, bitter history shows: count only on ourselves. I very much regret that Polish soldiers are forced to go to Ukraine as instructors. I consider it to be a complete nonsense. Not so long ago, a Polish general admitted that: how Polish instructor can train Ukrainians, since 15 years Polish soldiers do not operate on that kind of weapons? So what they will tell to Ukrainians? Maybe it’s even good because they will train them in such a way that they won’t be able to use this weapons and a little less people will die in Donbas.
– Is it therefore any chance for peace in Ukraine?
If it would come to a permanent peace agreement in Ukraine, peacekeeping forces should disarm all formations operating there. Not only the so-called separatists, but the Bandera’s bandits as well. They should disarm also private mercenary companies, such as the American company ‘Academy’. It would have to come to a resolution of the UN security council, which would sanction the entrance of peacekeepers there. These forces must also largely consist of Russian soldiers. Because, in the Donbas, they do not trust anybody. We, as humans, as a society have lost Donbas for a few decades. Any Donbas resident will not shake hands with a Pole or American. They are being killed and it is difficult to require understanding from them.
When I was in Donetsk, I saw that Ukrainian conscripts, on any occasion, tried to surrender. They want to be prisoners of the Donetsk side. They do not want to fight, they do not have any combat value. Sponsored by Kolomoyski’s Right Sector and American mercenaries, they are well trained and may continue the war. Average Ukrainian soldier is nothing more than cannon fodder.
Konrad Stachnio is an independent Poland based journalist, he hosted a number of radio and TV programs for the Polish edition of Prison Planet, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.