In brief
RCB sent the alert between 4:13 and about 4:15 on Tuesday, 13 October, and cancelled it around 4:40 after learning the threat had passed.
Because distribution was interrupted, some recipients received both the alert and its cancellation, while others received only the message that the threat had ended, RCB said.
An Opinia24 poll for RMF FM found 50% consider alert frequency appropriate and 23% say alerts come too often, rising to 74% in Lubelskie and 72% in Podkarpackie.
- 5 OctAir-threat alert meant for Lublin is sent by mistake to Lubusz voivodeship residents
- 13 OctRCB sends alert about a Russian air attack on Ukraine to Lublin and Podkarpackie
- 13 OctRCB cancels the alert, saying the air attack on Ukraine has ended
The overnight alert
Early on Tuesday, 13 October, the Government Security Centre (RCB) sent an SMS alert to residents of Lublin and Podkarpackie voivodeships about a Russian air attack on Ukraine. The message said the situation was being monitored, that Polish aircraft were operating in Polish airspace, and that recipients should expect further messages. The alert went out between 4:13 and about 4:15, depending on the account. It reached residents of a long list of counties, including the cities of Lublin, Chełm, Zamość, Biała Podlaska, Tarnobrzeg, Rzeszów, Przemyśl and Krosno. Residents of the two border voivodeships are woken almost every night by such alerts, which are sent each time Russia attacks Ukraine from the air.
Cancellation and the split alert
At about 4:40 RCB sent a second message saying the air attack on Ukraine had ended and that there was no threat on Polish territory. RCB said it had received information that the threat had passed while the first alert was still being distributed, which forced it to stop the send. As a result, some recipients received both the alert and its cancellation, while others received only the message that the threat had ended. RCB said the original alert may have reached only part of the people in the area, so it launched a cancellation campaign to correct the warning.
In its statement, RCB explained the mismatch in these words:
“This is a consequence of a change in the situation during the distribution of the alert and the need to pass information to recipients that matches the current threat level.”
Strikes on Ukraine overnight
Russia attacked Ukraine throughout the night, including Kyiv and Lviv. In Kyiv a ballistic missile hit a high-rise building, killing two people and injuring at least 12 others. After 4:00 Shahed drones attacked Lviv, and the city's mayor, Andrij Sadowy, confirmed that air defence was operating and that several explosions were heard in the city. The attacks increasingly target civilian sites. Ukraine's air defence is struggling to protect the population from successive raids.
Earlier errors and public reaction
Since mid-September RCB has sent a new type of alert tied to Russian strikes on Ukraine, issued at three levels depending on the scale of the potential threat. The highest level warns of an air threat and advises recipients to find a safe place, and RCB also sends a notice when an alert ends. On 5 October residents of Lubusz voivodeship received an air-threat alert meant for Lublin, an error by an RCB employee.
A poll by Opinia24 for RMF FM found that 50% of Poles consider the frequency of alerts appropriate, while 23% say they come too often. Among 25-29-year-olds, 41% said there are too many, and 27% of rural residents agreed. The share saying alerts are too frequent reached 74% in Lubelskie and 72% in Podkarpackie. In Lubusz, 66% said the system should work more often, and 16% of respondents had no opinion on frequency.
- Nationwide
- 23 %
- Aged 25-29
- 41 %
- Rural residents
- 27 %
- Lubelskie voivodeship
- 74 %
- Podkarpackie voivodeship
- 72 %
Data from the article text