Nearly half of Poles fear Russia will use a nuclear weapon, according to the latest poll from the Institute for Social and Economic Studies (IBRiS) for commercial Radio Zet.
The poll showed that 49.6 percent of Poles believe Russia will launch a nuclear weapon, while 29 percent of the respondents do not believe that it will use a nuclear weapon. Another 24.1 percent have no opinion on this matter. The last group, asked if it fears such a scenario, answered: “It is hard to say.”
In the same survey, Poles were asked about different issues connected to the nuclear threat, with 82.1 percent of respondents admitting that they do not know where the nearest shelter is in their surroundings, while 14.2 percent said that they know where the nearest nuclear shelter is located. Another 3.7 percent could not answer this question.
The poll also revealed that it is not widely known what one should do in the case of nuclear contamination, with 53.7 percent of the respondents admitting that they do not know what to do in such a situation. Only 26.9 percent of Poles know how to react, and 19.4 percent chose the answer “it is hard to say.”
Recently, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reacted to Vladimir Putin’s threats directed to the West. The Russian president suggested that Moscow could use a nuclear weapon if it considers its national security to be threatened.
“If there is a threat to the territorial integrity of our nation, we will surely use all means. I am not bluffing,” said Putin in his televised speech to the Russian nation.
Many experts connect the words of Putin to the referendums currently held in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine. After the results of the “voting” are published, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts will be all likely announced as being a part of Russia. This in turn, in case of an attack of the Ukrainian military, would give a pretext for Vladimir Putin to use a weapon of mass destruction.
