His associations and actions with Russians, even after the annexation of Crimea, suggest that if anyone has ties to Russia, it’s not the person Strozyk is targeting—namely Antoni Macierewicz—but perhaps Strozyk himself, according to a statement by former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and current MEP Maciej Wąsik in an interview with Niezalezna.pl, commenting on newly exposed Russian ties of the SKW (Military Counterintelligence Service) chief.
Strozyk’s Connection to a Pro-Soviet Rector
On May 21, Donald Tusk established a government commission to investigate Russian and Belarusian influence. Apart from the Prime Minister, various ministers nominated experts to work on the commission, including the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, the Special Services Coordinator, and others.
The commission is led by the head of Military Counterintelligence, Gen. Jarosław Strozyk. However, as reported in an article published on Niezalezna.pl and in “Gazeta Polska Codziennie” by Sławomir Cenckiewicz, Mariusz Kozłowski, and Michał Rachoń, Strozyk is linked to the Rector of the University of Siedlce, Prof. Mirosław Minkina—a “pro-Soviet colonel” formerly with the Military Information Services (WSI). Under Minkina’s guidance, Strozyk defended his doctoral thesis on February 13, 2019, titled “Contemporary International Intelligence Cooperation.”
Cooperation with Russian and Belarusian Institutions
The University of Siedlce has frequently organized Polish-Russian academic seminars and conferences, often including Russian and Belarusian researchers and officials like Sergey Andreev, the Russian Ambassador. Dr. Jarosław Strozyk’s name also appears on the organizing committee for one such conference alongside Vladimir Yuryevich Stromov, a member of Russia’s ruling party, United Russia, who, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, supported the so-called “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.”
Additionally, the University of Siedlce maintains close ties with Russian and Belarusian institutions, including one of Vladimir Putin’s most trusted academies, the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).
From Communist Functionary to WSI
Rector Minkina’s career began in 1978 when he joined the Polish Socialist Youth Union and the Polish United Workers’ Party (PZPR). He was involved in the military’s political department and later served in the Military Information Services, where he held roles from 2001 to 2006, overseeing Jarosław Strozyk.
“Absurd” Actions by Strozyk
Commenting on Strozyk’s affiliations, former Deputy Minister Wąsik questioned whether Stroozyk should continue leading the commission and SKW, saying, “This man has no qualifications to serve in the SKW.” He added that Strozyk’s roots in the WSI are telling, and his interactions with Russians post-Crimea only underline suspicions of Russian affiliations—not against Macierewicz, whom Strozyk attacks, but perhaps against Strozyk himself.
Asked about a conflict of interest in Strozyk’s connection to the rector, Wąsik stated, “It’s similar to the decommunization issue when some claimed democratic opposition favored the secret police.” He described the commission’s recent conference led by Strozyk as “a complete fraud,” saying it failed to address those advocating a reset with Russia. “The devil dresses in a priest’s robe and rings the church bell with his tail,” Wąsik remarked.
Wąsik believes that counterintelligence should investigate these connections thoroughly, though he suggests that politics today favors those aligned with Donald Tusk. According to Wąsik, even Tusk may feel “disillusioned by Strozyk and his actions because everything he does is absurd.” Wąsik questioned why Strozyk remains silent on the invitation of Sergey Lavrov to a conference of Polish ambassadors, the idea of resetting relations with Russia, inviting Russia into NATO, and an SKW-FSB agreement, which even former ABW head Gen. Bondaryk was skeptical of.