Counterintelligence chief: evidence shows local politicians acted in Russia's interest

The head of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) and the chairman of the commission to investigate Russian and Belarusian influences presented the effects of the commission's work last week at a press conference.

General Jarosław Stróżyk announced that the commission will file a motion to the prosecutor's office regarding the possibility that the former Minister of National Defense, Antoni Macierewicz, committed a diplomatic treason. The accusation pertains, among other things, to the ministry's withdrawal from the program to acquire air tankers.

The head of the Military Counterintelligence Service was asked on Monday in TVN24's Rozmowa Piaseckiego whether the commission currently has evidence that Russia and its special services influenced Polish decision-makers and significantly influenced any of the decisions made by these decision-makers.

General Stróżyk said that the commission has so far issued its first partial report. "I presented it to the Council of Ministers. It is a 60-page, classified, confidential report. And it contains a number of different, I would say, links, a number of names that may be interesting, but unfortunately at this stage, as I said, or as I said during the press conference, we cannot reveal them," he explained.

Asked whether the information in the report consists of just names and connections, or actual evidence and strong circumstantial proof, he replied that there is "certainly strong circumstantial evidence."

"Strong circumstantial evidence that some people in Poland were pursuing the foreign policy goals of Russia," the head of the Military Counterintelligence Service stressed.

Asked whether he thinks they were carrying out such orders, were tasked, were under pressure, or under the influence of financial transfers, or whether it just so happened that their way of thinking was similar to the Russian way of thinking, General Stróżyk replied that there were various motivations.

"We are really in the early stage of the commission's work. I stated at the press conference that we have not done more than 20 percent. Today I claim, after these various conversations over the past few days, that we have less than 10 percent, because we have so many new indications, so many new clues, so many new documents shown somewhere by people who saw something a long time ago and encourage us to read," he added.

"It seems to me that in order to say that Russia or Belarus influenced any Polish decision, one would have to find either that the politician who made that decision is a collaborator of the Russian intelligence, or that people from his entourage are collaborators of that intelligence or counterintelligence and influence him, or that his party receives financial transfers, or for some reason pursues Russian goals. In your opinion, did such things happen in Poland?," asked the host of the program, Konrad Piasecki.

"Yes, such things did happen," Stróżyk replied.

The head of the Military Counterintelligence Service said that the report "also shows the weakness of the Polish special services." "The weakness over the years, I would say, indications of certain people, indications of certain mechanisms. It is not by chance that I spoke about the weakening of the special services by politicians over the past several decades, and especially, it so happens, by one political option," he added.

The SKW chief referred to the announced motion to the prosecutor's office regarding the possibility that Antoni Macierewicz committed a diplomatic treason.

Konrad Piasecki asked if there were "hard evidence that Antoni Macierewicz contacted people who were collaborators or employees of Russian services, or there were also any financial flows between Russia and Poland."

"Article 129 does not mention anything about contacts with Russia. Article 129 on diplomatic betrayal, not treason, as it appears somewhere, is acting to the detriment of the Republic of Poland in international relations and with a foreign organization," the host said.

"Do you know how the information was passed to the Netherlands that we are withdrawing [from the program to acquire air tankers - ed.], Mr. Macierewicz passed the information to the Dutch Minister of Defense? In the corridor, approaching, he said two sentences and left," the general said.

"I returned to the army after 8 years and in January I heard from the Chief of the General Staff, at one of the briefings, that our biggest problem is the lack of air refueling of aircraft. For me, it all comes together into one whole: acting to the detriment of the Republic of Poland," he added.

General Stróżyk was also asked how many of the various disturbing, dramatic, and dangerous events of the last several months in Poland had been Russian attempts at a diversionary or terrorist attack.

"I think a lot, quite a few. Many of these cases are being investigated," he said.

"I had the opportunity to even be abroad on a business trip in the last few days. We discuss this with our allies. This requires bilateral cooperation," the general added.

The head of the Military Counterintelligence Service said that the services have been preventing these attacks. "Even that first attack in Wrocław, on January 31. It was supposed to take place, but the arson was not carried out. So you see some effectiveness," he said.

Stróżyk also pointed out that the Russians "are clumsy in a few places", but noted that "we appreciate the Russian services and also appreciate [them - ed.] from the perspective of the commission that I have the honor to chair."

Asked whether we should be prepared for much more serious attacks that will really paralyze public life in Poland, the SKW chief said that he was the last person who would "sow fear."

"However, I believe in the increasingly stronger services and their daily work," he added.