Michal Kukawski is a journalist with 20 years of experience. He worked for many years in Polish Public Radio as a reporter, he was a war correspondent in Iraq. 10 years ago he focused on writing, he became the head of the foreign affairs department in the Twój Styl magazine and the editor-in-chief of the Malemen magazine. This year he created his own award-winning podcast called Odpowiednik.
The Polish conservatives are heading for a second defeat in 6 months, this time in local elections. Meanwhile, as pro-Europeans are trying to reset the system, the pro-Russians are increasingly vocal.
After years of conservative rule, most Poles voted for the opposition parties. The conservatives are nonetheless poised to remain influent through the public institutions they control.
Poland’s liberal opposition hopes to break the ruling PiS’ long spell in power at the October 15 elections. The conservatives are betting on harshening their tone towards Ukraine, and the EU.
From cyberattacks to railway disruptions, Poland faced during the past several months a wave of incidents, many of them having the hallmarks of Russian intelligence.
One book and a documentary film claiming that Pope John Paul II knew about and covered sexual abuses against children lead to a huge scandal in his native Poland, where the former Pontiff is revered. Conservatives and the far-right scrambled to "defend the good name" of John Paul II and seem poised to use the scandal to their advantage in the upcoming elections.
Poland positioned itself as one of Ukraine’s main supporters: it allowed its territory to be used for arms deliveries while becoming a major arms supplier in its own right and convinced its NATO allies to support Ukraine even more. In parallel, Warsaw is engaged in a process of strengthening its own army. All this shows that Poland is turning into a key actor for the European security, an actor that is, however, increasingly exposed to the theses of Russian propaganda.
As Russia launched a massive attack on Ukraine in early 2022, millions of civilians fled the country and went West, out of harm’s way. Many chose to stay in Poland. They received some help from the state, but they mostly benefited from a network of volunteers providing everything from daily necessities to accommodation and jobs. Eleven months on, as some Poles are getting increasingly weary of refugees, the latter are still trying to adapt while dealing with the war traumas.
In 2025, Poland has found itself on the front line of a shadow war, waged with drones, explosives hidden along railway lines or in courier parcels turned into bombs, compromised officials, and and people recruited by the Russian secret services.
In his first hundred days in office, Poland’s new president has shown himself to be both a fighter and a tactician. Whether he is also a statesman remains to be seen.
A month after Russian drones were brought down over Poland, Warsaw feels normal again. Politicians resumed their quarrels, and the news cycle has moved on. Yet something in the public mood has shifted – a low, persistent awareness that Poland is being watched, probed, and measured.
On Tuesday night, Poland’s airspace came under pressure from Russian drones in what experts call the most serious incident since the start of the war in Ukraine. The military responded, the government convened emergency meetings, and allies expressed support—but the question remains: what will the West do next?
Nawrocki’s first statements and acts after he became president suggest that, rather than serving as a ceremonial head of state, he would attempt to establish himself as an alternative center of political power.
Karol Nawrocki victory in Poland’s presidential election is a coup for PiS leader, Jarosław Kaczyński. Nawrocki’s mission now would be to paralyze Donald Tusk’s pro-EU government.