WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A special committee tasked with investigating Russian and Belarusian influence in Poland began its work Wednesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced.
At a news conference in Warsaw, Tusk and other officials described the commission as an impartial group of experts whose aim is to protect national security. The work begins at a time of security concerns across the region, as Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its third year.
Tusk issued an order in May to establish a commission to investigate Russian and Belarusian influence in the years 2004-2024. He and other Polish officials say the country is facing intensified hybrid attacks from Russia and its neighbor and ally Belarus, including alleged acts of sabotage, cyberattacks and increasing pressure along the Poland-Belarus border.
Attempted border crossings from Belarus into European Union member Poland have risen to nearly 400 a day in recent months – from just a handful a day earlier this year, Polish officials say. Polish border guards have also described increasingly aggressive behavior by some migrants on the Belarusian side of the border, in some cases attacking them with stones or other objects.
Tomasz Siemoniak, Minister of the Interior and head of the secret services, said there is “no doubt” that the situation at the border is the work of Russia and Belarus, and that “explaining all the cases in recent twenty years in which traces of Russian or Belarusian activity are visible is of great importance.”
The committee will consist of twelve members and will be led by the head of the Military Counterintelligence Service, General Jarosław Stróżyk. Tusk noted that Stróżyk has served as a diplomat, military commander and deputy chief of NATO intelligence, among other positions.
