The airline flight you are on tells you something about the destination you are heading to and this one, from Warsaw to Rzeszów, in the south-east of Poland near to the Ukraine border, says something. More than just the Poles heading back to Rzeszów as home, a large foreign contingent is noticeable. English is dominant and it is mostly American accents among the passengers, some military volunteers but more often regular personnel and defence contractors.
Previously an unremarkable provincial town, Rzeszów—zeh-schoff to the unpractised Anglo ear—is a place transformed by the Ukraine-Russia war, now a busy border town enabling a huge logistical and military operation channelling war matériel to Ukraine. The airport is ringed by anti-aircraft missile batteries and military installations of the Polish armed forces, now an enthusiastic NATO bulwark. Military cargo planes fly in and out, around the clock.
Rezeszów’s busy and very pleasant, town square, ringed by outdoor café seating, completes the picture—the tables are mostly groups of youngish and middle aged men who man the massive military logistics operation that enables Ukraine to defend itself. State Department people, defence contractors, soldiers, adventurers, spies—all rub shoulders here.