POLAND: Jaworski Suspended & more – 22nd Jan 2026

Witam from BA! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 22nd of January twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Kicking off this episode, on Tuesday, the 20th, the Interior Ministry suspended Radosław Jaworski, head of the State Protection Service, while it carries out a disciplinary review. Colonel Tomasz Jackowicz will fill in for him during this period.

The ministry said it has concerns about how Jaworski handled staff and finances, while Marcin Kierwiński, the Interior Minister, explained that he suspended the general to protect the service.

President Nawrocki reportedly opposed the removal and praised Jaworski’s valuable work.

On Friday, the 16th, Poland unveiled a new plan called The Big Seven to transform its army by twenty thirty-nine. The goal is 500,000 soldiers, 300,000 full-time and 200,000 in a high-readiness reserve, to respond to Russia’s growing threat and use what its military has learned from observing the war in Ukraine, such as strategies, tactics, and weaknesses.

The plan focuses on quality over quantity: better-trained troops, modern gear, high morale, personalized training, and cutting-edge tech. The army will operate across all domains — land, air, cyber, space, and electromagnetic — and use cognitive operations to influence enemy thinking.

Poland is also changing its deterrence strategy, moving from showing presence to being able to strike key targets precisely.

To know more, check out the link in the show notes.

Switching gears to foreign affairs. On Tuesday, the 20th, Marcin Przydacz, the head of the President’s international policy office, said that President Nawrocki had a phone call with PM Tusk about an invitation to join the US-led Peace Council for Gaza.

The US proposed the Peace Council as part of a peace plan agreed on by Israel and Hamas. Poland received an invitation, and the government is carefully reviewing it.

Przydacz asked Radosław Sikorski, the Foreign Minister, to speed up internal consultations, warning that if Poland takes too much time to make decisions, it could miss its chance to take part.

Przydacz said that the reports stating that countries would have to pay one billion dollars for permanent membership sound like a political-business idea from US President Trump and that Poland hasn’t agreed to anything.

Still on foreign affairs, on Friday, the 16th, Radosław Sikorski met with David Lammy, his British counterpart in Warsaw, to talk about closer cooperation. They discussed topics including the UK–Poland partnership, bilateral security and defense treaties, ways to end the war in Ukraine, and migration challenges in Europe.

Sikorski said on social media that alliances aren’t permanent and that they need constant effort to protect shared interests.

Both Poland and the UK reaffirmed their full support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and agreed that any peace plan must comply with international law. They said they will continue to help Ukraine politically, militarily, and diplomatically, coordinating through NATO and supporting sanctions against Russia until its aggression stops.

Speaking of Russian aggression, on Wednesday, the 21st, Poland sent 400 generators to Kyiv and nearby towns after Russian strikes knocked out electricity and heating.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, said that after the attacks, almost sixty percent of buildings in the city lost electricity, and about 4,000 were without heat.

Public fundraiser Warmth from Poland for Kyiv has already collected over five million złoty, more than one million dollars, from more than 40,000 people.

Ukrainian officials and volunteers thanked Poland, saying the help is crucial with freezing temperatures and ongoing attacks.

Kyiv’s mayor added that around 600,000 people have left the city since the 9th of January, and half of the buildings still don’t have heating.

In economic news, on Tuesday, the 21st, Adam Glapiński, the president of the National Bank of Poland, said the bank plans to raise its gold reserves to 700 tons, up from the 550 tons it had at the end of twenty twenty-five.

He added that this will put Poland among the top ten countries with the largest gold reserves.

The 550 tons at the end of last year were worth roughly 270 billion złoty, over seventy billion dollars.

Glapiński also pointed out that in twenty twenty-five, the National Bank of Poland was the biggest gold buyer among central banks, which currently places Poland twelfth in central bank gold holdings.

On Thursday, the 15th, the Ministry of Development and Technology announced a plan to stop developers from turning collective housing buildings, like aparthotels, into separate apartments.

Right now, some investors exploit a legal loophole to create tiny, poorly lit units that aren’t meant for full-time living, causing problems like noise, parking shortages, and strain on local services.

The new rules will make it clear that these spaces can’t be treated as independent apartments unless they meet all technical and local requirements for regular homes or commercial units.

In some news on greenwashing, on Monday, the 19th, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection said that the taxi and scooter service Bolt, coffee and retail brand Tchibo, and global fashion retailer Zara are pretending to be more eco-friendly than they really are.

They have used broad claims about zero emissions, sustainability, and recycling without showing real numbers or how much of their business actually follows these practices.

For instance, most of Bolt’s rides are still in gas cars, even though they advertise zero-emission vehicles and 100 percent renewable energy. Tchibo labeled some products as eco or sustainable, even if they are mostly synthetic.

The office warned consumers to be careful with flashy green claims and check what is actually true behind the labels.

On another note, on Wednesday, the 21st, Wacław Matysek from the Polish Hunting Association said wild boars are appearing more and more in cities like Warsaw, in east-central Poland, and Łódź, in the southwest, with thousands now living in urban areas.

He explained that people leaving food around attracts the animals, which quickly get used to city life.

Matysek warned that wild boars can be dangerous, especially to pets, and advised people not to feed them, keep grass clippings and compost bins sealed, walk dogs on a leash, and give boars plenty of space if they appear.

He also asked residents to report any encounters and stressed that city officials, hunters, and nature groups should teach people how to stay safe.

On Sunday, the 18th, legal advisor and publicist Konrad Bonisławski wrote for media outlet Nowy Ład that the EU’s new trade deal with Mercosur, a South American trade bloc including Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, has sparked protests in Poland and other European countries because farmers fear it could hurt them.

He said the EU sees it as a major step for free trade and strengthening its global influence. However, Poland currently exports very little to Mercosur but imports a lot of products such as soy, coffee, and orange concentrates, which could worsen the trade balance.

This situation shows EU decisions don’t always benefit every member equally and raises questions about whether being in the EU still makes economic sense for Poland.

To read the full piece in Polish, click on the link in the show notes.

On Saturday, the 17th, Poland launched Jantar Unity, its newest and largest ferry, in Szczecin, in north-western Poland. The nearly 200‑meter (650-feet) vessel can carry around 270 trucks and 400 passengers, reaching speeds of up to nineteen knots.

The ferry has advanced stabilizers, modern propulsion, and safety systems to ensure smooth and secure trips even in rough weather. Passenger cabins meet three- to four-star standards, and the ship offers cafes, bars, family areas, and plenty of spots to relax.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk shared a video of the ship on social media. Check it out with the link in the show notes.

Wrapping up, on Monday, the 19th, Netflix announced that it will adapt the classic novel Nights and Days by Maria Dąbrowska, a 20th‑century Polish writer, journalist, and essayist. The movie will be directed by Kamila Tarabura.

Nights and Days is one of Poland’s most celebrated novels, which follows the life of Barbara, a woman who navigates love, marriage, and family life over many years. The book shows how chasing your own dreams can clash with the responsibilities of a relationship and how keeping a partnership strong takes work, sacrifice, and compromise.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

Remember that we sell very cool t-shirts, check them out with the link in the show notes.

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