POLAND: Patriot Air Defense System & more – 3rd April 2025

Witam from BA! This is the Rorshok Poland Update from the 3rd of April twenty twenty-five. A quick summary of what's going down in Poland.

Let’s start off with updates on security. On Monday, the 31st, Poland and the US signed an agreement worth almost two billion dollars to supply Poland with a Patriot air defense system, including logistical and technical support. Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister, along with Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Defense Minister, signed the deal with Daniel Lawton, the US Chargé d'Affaires, during an official ceremony at a military base in Sochaczew, in central Poland.

Tusk said that security is Poland’s top priority, and that the country is deeply committed to NATO and the US, investing billions to ensure the alliance’s safety. Kosiniak-Kamysz said that air defense is Poland's largest military expense, and although it’s costly, it’s essential, since air attacks are more common in modern wars, with countries like Russia mainly using fighter jets, bombers, and drones to strike. He also added that the more the EU invested in defense, the stronger NATO and Poland’s military would be.

Still on security, on Wednesday, the 2nd, the EU defense ministers gathered in Warsaw for a casual EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, with Poland in the lead.

Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, said during the meeting that Russia could soon attack EU countries and stressed the need for strong defense measures. He also introduced the EU's new defense plan, the Joint White Paper for European Defence Readiness twenty thirty The strategy focuses on making Europe stronger and more prepared to face security challenges, including key projects like the Eastern Shield and the Baltic Defence Line, aimed at protecting the region from potential threats, especially from Russia.

It urges more cooperation between EU countries, adding that it was essential to put the plan into action to stop any potential aggressor. He also suggested creating a European solidarity movement to boost defense efforts.

Radosław Sikorski, the Polish Foreign Minister, praised the White Paper plan and hoped that US-led peace talks would show who really wants peace in Ukraine.

Later that same day Kosiniak-Kamysz met with Kubilius to discuss the EU's White Paper plan.

Kubilius praised Poland's military efforts and urged other EU countries to follow Poland’s example. Kosiniak-Kamysz and Kubilius also discussed rising threats such as hybrid warfare, disinformation, and attacks on Baltic Sea cables, with the goal of improving Europe’s overall defense.

On Monday, the 31st, the Ministry of the Interior shared on Twitter that the country finished upgrading its electronic surveillance system along a 206-kilometer stretch of the Belarusian border in the Podlaskie region, northeastern Poland.

The project, costing over 125 million zloty, which is about thirty-one million dollars, uses cameras, sensors, extra lighting and artificial intelligence to help border guards track illegal crossings, especially with Belarus and Russia using migration to cause problems for the EU. The system covers the whole Podlaskie section of the border, including forty-seven kilometers along rivers, with over 1,300 cameras.

There have been nearly 2,500 attempts at illegal crossings since January twenty twenty-five, with 1,900 in March alone. Still, the Polish Border Guard reported that ninety-eight percent of these attempts failed.

Since we mentioned Belarus, on Saturday, the 29th, the Polish Police started searches for Anzhelika Melnikaŭa, a Belarusian opposition leader in exile, and her two daughters aged six and twelve, who recently went missing.

Melnikaŭa fled Belarus in twenty twenty and moved to Warsaw after two attempts to arrest her during protests against Belarusian President Lukashenko. She worked with opposition leaders like Pavel Latushka in the National Anti-Crisis Management and later became the head of the Belarusian Coordination Council, a group created by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a Belarusian opposition leader..

Polish authorities are now working with international teams to locate them. They fear that someone might have forcibly taken Melnikaŭa and her daughters from Poland, as Belarusian and Russian security services have targeted opposition figures before.

On another search operation, on Thursday, the 27th, the Polish military launched a rescue search for US soldiers who went missing in the middle of the military exercise on Tuesday the 25th, near the Pabrade training area in northeastern Lithuania, close to the Belarusian border.

Dovilė Šakalienė, the Lithuanian Defense Minister, requested assistance from Poland since the countries are both NATO members. In response, Poland quickly sent soldiers, equipment, and divers, honoring its NATO commitments and supporting its allies.

Rescuers found the bodies of three soldiers in the submerged vehicle and discovered the fourth near it. The cause of his death is still under investigation, but it was likely an accident.

Switching gears, on Tuesday, the 1st, the European Parliament removed the immunity of two Polish deputies, Mariusz Kaminski and Maciej Wasik.

In twenty twenty-three, the Warsaw District Court convicted them of manipulating information to create a fake corruption case in two thousand seven, sentencing them to two years in prison and a five-year public office ban. Despite this, they attended parliamentary sessions until their jailing on the 9th of January, twenty twenty-four. Shortly after, President Duda pardoned them because he said that they were important members of his Law and Justice party. This allowed them to continue their political careers and run in the European Parliament elections.

The European Parliament removed their immunity as part of the legal process, but since Duda pardoned them, they no longer face prison or a public office ban. Still, the corruption case and losing immunity might hurt their political image.

On Wednesday, the 2nd, hackers attacked Donald Tusk's Civic Platform party ahead of Poland's presidential election on the 18th of May.

Jan Grabiec, the head of the Prime Minister's office, said hackers from the East, possibly from Russia or Belarus, tried to take control of computers used by party employees and election staff. Grabiec added that the attack was a serious effort to spy on the party’s activities and disrupt the campaign.

Tusk confirmed the attack on Twitter, where he warned that foreign forces would try to meddle in the election.

Next up, on Friday, the 28th, Caritas Polska and the Rescue Foundation of the Republic of Poland started raising funds to help earthquake victims in Myanmar and Thailand after a nearly eight magnitude earthquake struck the countries on Friday the 26th of March.

Both Caritas Polska and the Foundation have experience in disaster relief. The Foundation is collecting money for rescue and medical equipment and plans to send teams to the disaster area, while Caritas Polska is accepting donations for basic supplies.

Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed heartfelt sympathy for the earthquake victims, offering their condolences to the families and hoping for a fast recovery for everyone affected.

And to wrap up this edition, some health updates. On Friday, the 28th, Teresa Kubas-Hul, the Governor of Podkarpacie in southeastern Poland, said that the country is taking extra steps to stop foot-and-mouth disease from spreading after outbreaks in Slovakia and Hungary, even though there are no cases in Poland yet. Authorities are disinfecting trucks at border crossings, checking food products from Slovakia, and teaching farmers how to spot signs of the disease in animals.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a virus that affects animals like cows and pigs, spreading through saliva, breath, and fluids. It causes fever, blisters, and lower productivity, but it doesn’t affect humans and is rarely fatal in animals.

Veterinary labs are tracking animal movements with the EU’s TRACES system to stop it from spreading, while the Ministry of Agriculture warned against fake news and asked people to rely on official sources.

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

Make sure to hit the subscribe button! And don’t worry—subscribing to the Rorshok Poland Update won’t cost you a thing! By subscribing, you’re helping us grow and continue bringing you the updates you love. Tune in on your favorite podcast platform!

Do zobaczenia!