Poland’s Top Army Brass Resigns Days Before Election

Top Polish military officials resign ahead of crucial election and amid Ukraine conflict.
Generals Andrzejczak and Piotrowski stepped down, citing concerns over military politicization.
The government denies allegations of meddling in the military and judiciary, curbing media freedom.

Just before a crucial election and amidst the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Poland’s top two military officials, General Rajmund Andrzejczak, who served as the Chief of General Staff, and General Tomasz Piotrowski, who was the Operational Commander, have stepped down from their positions without explaining.

According to media reports, their decision is believed to be driven by concerns over the ruling right-wing government’s alleged efforts to bring the military into the realm of politics as the general elections scheduled for Sunday approach.

The government, however, denies these allegations.

Furthermore, the government dismisses accusations from both Poland’s opposition and the European Union that it is exerting political influence over the country’s judiciary system and restricting media freedom.

General Piotrowski has also submitted his resignation.

According to a report from the prominent Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita, both generals had clashed with Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak regarding the perceived politicization of the military and a dispute related to a Russian cruise missile incident over Poland late last year.

In May, Defense Minister Blaszczak accused General Piotrowski of failing to inform him in December that an unarmed missile had entered Polish airspace from Belarus and traveled a significant distance before crashing in a forest.

This missile was only discovered by a member of the public in April, causing substantial embarrassment for the minister.

However, neither Mr. Blaszczak nor the two generals have publicly commented on the Rzeczpospolita report.

On Sunday, Poles will participate in what opposition leader Donald Tusk has described as their “most significant election since 1989 and the fall of communism.”

The populist, right-wing United Right coalition, led by the Law and Justice party of Jaroslaw Kaczynski, is seeking a third term in office.

Nevertheless, the gap between the right-wing and centrist factions has narrowed during a highly contentious election campaign.

Poland has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, hosting over a million Ukrainian refugees and supplying Kyiv with more than $3 billion in weapons.

However, relations have been strained during the campaign due to Poland’s ban on Ukrainian grain imports.

Last month, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that Warsaw would cease supplying weapons and instead focus on replenishing its depleted stocks.