I had the right to declassify archival documents and present them to the public to reassure them and deter our enemies, so they would know that every inch of Poland is now defended by our soldiers – said former Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak on Telewizja Republika, commenting on the allegations he faces in connection with the declassification of parts of defense plans related to the so-called “Vistula Line” – plans to surrender eastern Poland to the enemy in the event of an armed conflict.
PiS MP Mariusz Błaszczak today faced prosecutor’s charges. The case concerns the declassification and subsequent public disclosure by Błaszczak, as head of the Ministry of National Defense (MON), of parts of the “Warta” plan for the use of the Polish Armed Forces in September 2023. Citing this document, he accused PO politicians of planning to defend the country along the Vistula Line and surrender half of the country to the aggressor in the event of an invasion during their time in government.
Today, before the prosecutor’s office, we heard that the head of MON can remove “secret” and “top secret” classifications, but not in all cases – and for this specific decision, he faced charges. The matter was commented on by Mariusz Błaszczak himself on Telewizja Republika, where he revealed details of his interrogation.
It was a political ostentation. In the room where I was interrogated, there were calendars of a politicized association. Where is the impartiality of the prosecutor who brings charges? That’s why I argue that this process is political in nature – said the former head of MON.
Błaszczak emphasized that for Donald Tusk, what happened before 2015 is very compromising – “that’s why they convened a secret parliamentary assembly and want to hide it all.”
I had the right to declassify archival documents and present them to the public to reassure the public and deter enemies, so they would know that every inch of Poland is now defended by our soldiers – he said.
Mariusz Błaszczak also explained the changes in Poland’s defense doctrine introduced during the right-wing government.
These documents ceased to be secret when the secrecy clause was lifted. We changed the principles of defense. We moved away from the Vistula Line defense, introducing a defense line at the border. 95,000 soldiers armed with old Soviet weapons would not have held the defense even at the Vistula Line. Many of our military units were disbanded. In 2011, units in the east of the country were disbanded. We later rebuilt those units. Today, we have many units in the east. We rebuilt entire brigades, and in some places, we created new units – he recalled.
He emphasized that he had to bring the Polish military to a state where it was equipped with modern weapons.
Starting in 2018, we began arming ourselves with modern American weapons. We also purchased some components from other countries. At that time, the mainstream criticized cooperation with Turkey, but now Donald Tusk has gone to Turkey, and no one speaks negatively about it. I am glad that we managed to acquire weapons in a very short time. They attack us because we succeeded, and they lack achievements and are dragging Poland down – noted Mariusz Błaszczak.
The former head of MON also responded to the words of prosecutor Maciej Maksjan, who stated that the minister has the right to declassify documents, but there must be grounds for doing so.
And there were grounds for lifting the secrecy clause. An entire division in the east of the country has been rebuilt. There are new units in Biała Podlaska and Siemiatycze. We also doubled the size of the army. During Tusk’s first government, Leopard tanks were stationed at the western border. What were they supposed to defend there? – he asked.