Poland to spend $26 billion on civil defence, population protection plan, PM says

WARSAW, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Poland plans to invest 102.4 billion zlotys ($26 billion) over five years on a population protection and civil defence programme, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.

• In recent months, due to Russia's intensified attacks on Ukraine — particularly its western region — Polish authorities have issued alerts to warn the public about the potential impact of these air raids on Poland.

• The programme is also designed to prepare the country and its citizens for natural disasters such as floods.

• "Civil protection priorities include protective structures, shelters of all kinds, rescue equipment and infrastructure, and the stockpiling of supplies for crisis situations and natural disasters," Tusk said on Tuesday.

• "We will fund warning systems, IT systems and secure communication between institutions and services," he said ahead of a cabinet meeting.

• Amid the war in Ukraine, Poland's military spending has reached nearly 5% of its gross domestic product.

($1 = 3.8847 zlotys)

(Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Hugh Lawson)