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Is Poland in Nato?
RUSSIA'S invasion of Ukraine saw many citizens flee to Poland to seek refuge from the ruins and dangers of the war.
Poland is playing a key figure in helping Ukrainian refugees seek safety but some are raising concerns regarding Poland's part in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
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March 11, 2022, marked the twenty-third anniversary of the Polish National Assembly's alliance with Nato; many of the countries in Nato are raising concerns about Poland helping Ukraine.
Poland is helping many Ukrainian refugees find a home, get their visa requirements sorted, and provide daily necessities.
Some are worried that Russia will eventually attack Poland, hence attacking part of Nato in the process.
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Nato is currently in a state of defence, as it wants to minimise the risk of causing a world war.
On March 13, a Russian airstrike killed 35 people where foreign instructors were helping Ukrainian refugees. The attack happened just 12 miles from the Polish border.
More than 30 cruise missiles were fired at the Yavoriv military base near Lviv which injured 134 people according to Ukrainian authorities.
Foreign military instructors previously worked at the Yavoriv International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security but it was confirmed that no Nato official was there at the time of the attacks.
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The former Ukrainian National Security Chief Oleksandr Danylyuk feared that Russia might start provocating Nato countries.
He said: "I'm afraid that because Russia obviously miscalculates the reaction of Ukrainians, and I believe the West as well, they can start doing some provocations in Nato countries, probably in countries like Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, very soon."
To protect Nato's eastern flank, the UK sent some sophisticated mobile air defence kits to Poland.
It was said that this deployment is temporary and will serve as part of the Nato exercises.
The Sky Sabre system can hit any object the size of a tennis ball travelling at the speed of sound.
These units can be positioned to create a 240km-long "no-cross air line, which will almost cover the entire length of the Polish-Ukraine border.
Two dozen missiles can be simultaneously controlled to intercept a swarm of targets.
A spokesman said: "As part of our commitment to European security, the UK will support the long-planned Nato exercise Ramstein Legacy 2022 with the deployment of the defensive Sky Sabre system in Poland."
Poland was also ready to offer, with the help of America, fighter jets to Ukraine.
The plan was to deploy MiG-29s to the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany and put them for use by America.
It also proposed for the US to send F-16 fighters to replace any Soviet-era MiGs supplied to Kyiv.
The Pentagon in the rejected this offer as it warned that this would "raise concerns for the entire Nato alliance" and it can trigger attacks on Nato countries.
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Poland is aware that there might be a risk of the country being invaded too.
Unlike Ukraine though, Poland would have the Nato alliance to defend it, but it would cause more countries to attack and get attacked, which would worsen the situation.
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