As Wiadomosci explained, the man had "anxiously watched media reports about what was happening in eastern Ukraine" and, "terrified that Russia would also want to seize Poland," secretly began collecting explosive substances, presumably to wage a guerilla war against the Russian invaders.
The flammable substances slowly released toxic vapors, and on the night of May 8, the cache exploded. The man, an active survivalist, was not at home at the time of the explosion.
The Bialystok prosecutor's office declared that the man's actions had endangered the lives of 18 persons. As Wiadomosci explained, the man was brought to trial and even pled guilty, but is unlikely to face jail time, since psychiatrists have declared him to be mentally insane.
Neighbors of the deranged man told Wiadomosci that "we are afraid that one day he will come back," adding that "some of us are considering moving out."
Polish sociologists and political scientists have repeatedly criticized their country's media coverage of news relating to Russia, including the hysteria riled up by Moscow's alleged designs on Poland, which are also regularly talked about by the country's politicians. Earlier this month, commenting on the government's decision to create a Russian-language news agency to counter 'Russian propaganda', political science journal Obserwator Polityczny suggested that Poland needs to create a media resource the world can envy, instead of a "festival of lies and Russophobia."
Unfortunately, the situation doesn't seem very likely to change any time soon. Last month, Poland's National Security Bureau cooked up a draft of its new Information Security Doctrine, declaring that the country was in danger of 'enemy' infiltration and destabilization, and demanding additional resources and new legal resources to combat the apparent threat.
