Local officials say investors are delaying projects, tourists are becoming more wary of visiting and young people are leaving for other regions. They are calling on the government for support.
The eastern Polish city of Chełm is facing growing public anxiety over security threats linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine, while some investors are postponing projects and young residents continue to leave in search of better-paid jobs, according to Deputy Mayor Kamil Błaszczuk.
He has called on the government to open talks with municipalities in eastern Poland and provide them with additional financial support.
Residents of the Lubelskie and Podkarpackie regions are increasingly receiving government security alerts warning of potential threats amid intensified attacks in western Ukraine.
According to Błaszczuk, repeated alerts and the sounding of air-raid sirens have heightened fears in the city, which lies near Poland's eastern border.
"Everyday life in Chełm is becoming increasingly difficult because concern among residents is growing," Błaszczuk said.
He added that warnings about attacks in Ukraine arrive almost daily and that sirens have been activated several times in recent days, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
The situation is also affecting the city’s investment prospects, Błaszczuk said. Several companies that had considered investing in Chełm were now distancing themselves from their plans, postponing projects or suspending preparations, he added.
In two cases, investors had indicated that they would put their plans on hold, officially citing market instability.
Błaszczuk also said security concerns were being raised by tourists who had encountered reports of troubling incidents in the region on social media and in national news reports.
Some were questioning whether it was safe to visit Chełm, he said.
These developments are adding to the city's long-standing economic and demographic problems.
Błaszczuk said Chełm had lost much of the economic potential it once enjoyed as a provincial capital. The city now lacks major industrial employers and significant investors, with public administration institutions among its principal employers.
Chełm's population has fallen from more than 70,000 in 2002 to around 54,000 today, according to Błaszczuk.
Young and educated residents are leaving for larger cities, including Lublin, Warsaw, Gdańsk and Poznań, in search of better-paid work.
Błaszczuk warned that security concerns and the prospect of reduced investment could accelerate the decline.
"In 15 years, eastern Poland could have expressways and renovated buildings, but they will be empty," he said.
Błaszczuk also criticised the system used to calculate funding for local governments, arguing that the current formula puts Chełm at a disadvantage, partly because relatively few companies have their registered offices in the city.
He said local authorities had raised concerns about both security and municipal financing with the relevant government bodies, including the finance ministry, and that discussions were ongoing.
The city is reviewing existing legislation and preparing for further talks with the government.
Błaszczuk said the challenges were shared by many local authorities, but municipalities in eastern Poland faced additional pressures arising from the regional security situation.
"We are calling for talks to begin and for a forum to be established where dialogue is possible," he said.
Błaszczuk said the city was willing to share its experience of managing crises.
In 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Chełm was among the first Polish cities to receive refugees fleeing the war. The experience placed considerable organizational and financial demands on the local authorities.
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Source: samorzad.pap.pl