East Front News #12: Flood Relief, Hezbollah Pager Explosions, Civil Protection in Poland, Miecznik Frigates

International Aid Offered to Poland & Operation Feniks

In Lower Silesia, authorities and residents have been battling the flood for nearly a week. On Wednesday night, a flood wave reached Wrocław. Meanwhile, in areas where the water has receded, massive cleanup operations, damage assessments, and restoration efforts are underway. 14,000 soldiers have already been deployed to engage in operations related to combating the flood and its consequences. The action involves soldiers from the land forces, the Territorial Defence Forces (WOT), as well as special units, including the specialized Airborne Special Operations Unit. On Monday, Operation „Phoenix” (pl. Feniks) begins. The task is to support the rebuilding efforts in flood-affected areas, and it will be the largest operation of its kind in the history of the Polish Armed Forces. Given the critical situation, many countries have offered help to Poland. The Czech Republic, the U.S., Germany, Turkey, Ukraine, Lithuania, and other nations have expressed their readiness to support rescue efforts. Some of this aid will be accepted, and authorities are coordinating international efforts to quickly relieve those affected and assist in rebuilding the regions hit by the disaster.

It’s worth noting that foreign services are also exploiting the tragedy. A modified version of the scam involving shocking materials has emerged—this time showing a child being swept away by floodwaters. The portraits accompanying these texts were generated using AI. Another serious issue is misinformation. Fake reports cover nearly every aspect of the tragedy, from the causes of the flood, the rescue operations, to the situation in the flooded areas and after the water recedes.

Verification is crucial. We will also discuss this during our conference in Warsaw on the 2 of October: Cyber24Day We invite you to register.

European Funds for Flood Relief Are Available, But You Have to Ask for Them

Poland will be eligible for financial assistance from the Solidarity Fund (Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve). However, as reported by the European Commission, none of the EU countries currently dealing with floods in recent days have yet applied for these funds. The procedure for granting these funds is relatively simple. Affected countries have 12 weeks from the first instance of damage to submit such an application. Once received by the European Commission, it is evaluated and then passed to the European Parliament, which votes on providing support. In February 2024, the SEAR budget was increased to €1.5 billion. The Solidarity Fund was established in 2002 in response to catastrophic floods that hit Central Europe that summer. Since then, it has provided aid in over 130 cases, all to address challenges like those Poland is currently facing.

Electronic Bombs: Israel Suspected of Hezbollah Pager Explosions

In Lebanon, a series of pager explosions occurred, used by Hezbollah members for communication. Over 3,000 members of the organization were reportedly injured. The explosions took place in the southern districts of Beirut, a traditional Hezbollah stronghold, as well as other regions of the country. Both the Lebanese press agency and Hezbollah confirmed the event. The following day, there was an explosion of walkie-talkies. This is considered the largest military attack in history with such minimal civilian casualties. The use of the cyber domain and the ability to remotely trigger explosions is unique. Until now, targets were mainly advanced systems such as smartphones and computers. Here, we see a complete breakdown of Hezbollah’s communication system, with some of the organization’s top figures among the injured. This means Hezbollah is currently relying only on alternative communication systems, while also conducting rescue operations for hundreds of people. There hasn’t been a better opportunity to infiltrate Lebanon in years.

It’s worth noting that since the 1990s, Polish soldiers have served in Lebanon as part of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL). The contingent consists of up to 250 soldiers, with their main tasks being the protection of civilians, monitoring the „Blue Line” demarcation zone, and supporting the Lebanese government in maintaining peace and security, in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution.

Government Bill on Civil Protection and Defence Submitted to Parliament

The government has submitted a bill on civil protection and civil defence to parliament, requiring the allocation of at least 0.3% of GDP annually for these purposes. The legislation outlines the responsibilities for protecting the population in both peacetime and wartime. The system will be built around existing structures, such as the state fire service, volunteer fire departments, state emergency medical services, the emergency notification system, crisis management entities, medical institutions, and non-governmental organizations.

At the national level, the civil protection system will be coordinated by the Minister of the Interior and Administration, with support from the Government Civil Protection Team. The Government Security Center will take on an enhanced role as the leading agency for informing, warning, and alerting the public about threats. In case of martial law or war, the civil protection system will transition into civil defence, focusing on protecting civilians from military operations and their consequences. The bill also includes plans to create a secure national communications system and evacuation plans for natural disasters or war. The current government has criticized its predecessors from the Law and Justice (PiS) party for not implementing civil defence measures after repealing earlier regulations under the Homeland Defence Act.

Changes in Armament for Miecznik Frigates

The PGZ-Miecznik consortium announced at the MSPO arms fair in Kielce that its Miecznik frigates will now be equipped with Kongsberg missiles from Norway, instead of the originally planned RBS15 missiles from Sweden’s Saab. This change was requested by the armed forces, though no official reason has been provided.

Currently, RBS15 Mk3 radar-guided anti-ship missiles are used by the three Project 660M Orka-class missile boats, while the coastal Maritime Missile Unit in Siemirowice is equipped with Kongsberg’s thermally guided NSM missiles. The Ministry of Defence’s Armament Agency has ordered four additional NSM squadrons and is planning consultations on acquiring air-launched cruise missiles to equip F-35A aircraft, of which Poland has ordered 32. It is noteworthy that the US Navy has begun installing NSMs on its ships, and the US Air Force has agreed to purchase Kongsberg’s Joint Strike Missiles (JSM), the air-launched variant of the NSM, for its F-35A fighters.

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East Front News is a weekly newsletter and article on Defence24.com summarizing the past week’s most important events concerning security and the situation in the Central and Eastern Europe region. It includes original opinions and comments, along with key news items significant from a Polish perspective.

Aleksander Olech, PhD & Jakub Palowski, Deputy Ed. in Chief