“Time to pack your bags”: Ukrainians abroad are concerned about educational evacuations in schools

Ukrainian woman expresses concern over evacuation drills at Polish school.

Olena Vasylchuk, the mother of a boy studying in Poland, shared her concerns about evacuation drills at school. She wrote about this on social media, noting that the children’s class teacher reported that they were conducting drills in case of war.

In her post, Olena asked if it was time to start packing their bags in connection with this news. User responses to her message were mixed. Some Ukrainians living in Poland noted that such drills are held annually, so there is no reason to panic.

One of the commentators noted: “Last year, such events were also held in September. This is a common practice, and children undergo training in case of fire or other emergencies.” Another participant in the discussion added: “I worked in a Polish school – back in 2022, we conducted evacuation drills in case of an emergency. This is normal, especially given the situation with Russia.”

However, some commentators express fears that the conflict could spread to Poland and call for readiness for possible challenges. “Follow the news, especially the embassies. If McDonald’s closes, this will be a signal to evacuate,” one user writes.

It should be recalled that in recent years, Polish airspace has repeatedly been threatened by Russia. For example, during a recent attack on the night of September 10, at least 20 Russian drones invaded Polish territory, some of which were shot down. Although Poland refrains from direct accusations against Moscow, it condemns the aggression taking place in the region.