WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Michael and Grace Konar have lived in the United States for the past four decades, but they said their heart remains in Poland where several of their family members live in fear.
"On a daily basis, my sister says she is afraid," said Michael Konar. "She is afraid that the war will come to Poland, and they do not know what they are going to do."
This fear intensified after a Russian-made missile landed in rural Poland, killing two people. Polish officials said the missile looks like came from Ukraine's defense forces and was most likely an accident.
However, the Konar family said the blame is still on Russia.
"We need more information on what happened, how it happened, why it happened, but if Russia did not invade Ukraine this would never have happened," said Michael Konar.
Konar said he visited his relatives in Poland just this past October. He said many family members do not plan to leave their homes, but are coming up with emergency plans just in case.
"They are all just afraid," said Michael Konar. "My younger brother, for example, keeps his car full of gas so in case the war spreads to Poland, they can run away."
Konar said the atmosphere of Poland has changed dramatically since the war began.
"You hear Ukrainian language everywhere now because of all the refugees - many of them women and children," said Konar. "I am proud of my country for taking them in."
According to the New York Times, the missile explosion comes on the same day that around 100 missiles landed across Ukraine from Russia. This includes one strike that landed just 50 miles away from the Polish border.