Today, during a secret session, the Sejm is set to address a motion regarding the lifting of parliamentary immunity for Law and Justice (PiS) MP Mariusz Błaszczak. The prosecution intends to press charges against the politician for exceeding his authority, alleging that as Minister of National Defense, he declassified parts of the Plan for the Use of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland (WARTA-00101) in July 2023 and publicly disclosed excerpts in September 2023. This document, dating back to 2011, outlines defense strategies in the event of a potential Russian attack. At the time, Błaszczak revealed that the Civic Platform government had planned, in the event of an invasion, to defend the country along the Vistula River, effectively conceding half of Poland’s territory to the aggressor.
“The Collapse of Democratic Will”
During a morning press briefing held by the Law and Justice party, its leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, expressed his support for Mariusz Błaszczak as well as for “other victims of this political operation, reminiscent of distant times.”
“This operation is not merely intended to intimidate us, but rather the Polish society as a whole, introducing an atmosphere that has not been seen in Poland since the communist era. It aims to bring about the collapse of democratic will in our country. This will not succeed, but it is one such act,”
Kaczyński stated.
“Poland Was Defenseless for Years”
He emphasized that “the case against Błaszczak is merely a pretext.”
“From a legal standpoint, the charges lack any basis. The Minister of National Defense has the right to declassify such materials—it is a matter of his judgment. There was and could have been no harm caused by this disclosure. The only individuals potentially harmed are those who made such defense-related decisions in the past,”
the PiS leader asserted.
Kaczyński further argued that “for many years, Poland was entirely defenseless.”
“The army that existed during that period was incapable of fulfilling any serious combat tasks. It was only due to favorable political circumstances—a major crisis and internal strife in Russia—that this did not result in greater security threats,”
he noted.
He also pointed out that government policies, including financial policies, had led to a shift in thinking—rejecting the notion that allocating tens of billions of zlotys to the military was excessive.
“In reality, that sum was very little. Nevertheless, we managed to implement radical changes, increasing military expenditures from below 2% of GDP to nearly 5%,”
he said.
“Better to Be in Debt Than to Be Occupied”
Kaczyński also remarked that following the change in government, not only were certain arms procurements halted, but the expansion of the military was also slowed down.
“Last year, only 10,000 new recruits joined the army, despite plans for 30,000. Had the original plans been followed, we would already have a force of 230,000–240,000 troops, with the goal of 300,000 achievable in just 2–3 years. And in today’s circumstances, 300,000 troops should be considered the absolute minimum. Our military should be both larger and better funded,”
he stated.
He acknowledged that “much remains to be done for our army to reach full combat readiness” and noted that a drastic strengthening of the armed forces “must always come at someone’s expense.”
“I maintain that it is better to be in debt than to be occupied. Of course, I would prefer Poland not to be in debt, and efforts should be made to achieve this without borrowing. However, we must be strong enough so that those who might consider attacking us recognize that we would be an exceptionally tough opponent,”
Kaczyński concluded.