Deputy Minister of National Defense Marcin Ociepa stated on TVN24 that General Tomasz Piotrowski remains the operational commander of the Polish Armed Forces and that there is no basis to discuss his resignation. He emphasized confidence in the general and highlighted that no decision has been made about his departure from the post.
During his appearance on the program One for One, Ociepa, who leads the OdNowa association and serves as deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense, was asked why Piotrowski continues in the role. He referenced a claim by Deputy Prime Minister Mariusz Błaszczak that the general did not notify him or the relevant services about a missile and its debris found near Bydgoszcz in April.
Message Consistency
There has been no decision to dismiss Piotrowski. He remains the operational commander, and no grounds exist for speculation about his resignation, according to Ociepa.
Ociepa noted that all generals are subject to strict scrutiny by their superiors, which should be standard in a democratic state. If any staff moves are decided, they will be announced. The focus remains on working as a united team to avoid future mistakes and strengthen Poland’s security.
He added that he trusts General Piotrowski.
Ociepa was also asked about his earlier remarks asserting that the missile debris found near Bydgoszcz was not aimed at Poland. He replied that procedures are underway to draw conclusions from the incident, and that the case will be handled by the prosecutor’s office, which will publish its findings in due course.
From the ministry’s perspective, certain hypotheses can be advanced through military research institutes. Multiple scenarios are possible, but the most likely version at present is that a missile was launched with the intention of confusing Ukrainian air defenses as part of a broader attack against Ukraine.
He noted that, in a broader sense, the trajectory diverged as seen with other incidents like the Przewodów event, and that the mechanism involved indicated it was not a self-destructing missile.
Were Procedures Effective?
Late April saw the Ministry of National Defense disclose that the remains of an unidentified military facility were found near Zamość, about 15 kilometers from Bydgoszcz. A civilian encountered the site in a wooded area. The Gdańsk district prosecutor’s office opened an inquiry, which was later transferred to the prosecutor’s office in mid-May.
In May, the defense minister stated that the procedures and response mechanisms related to the object near Bydgoszcz were functioning at the level of the Operation Commander; however, he indicated that the commander did not inform him or the relevant services about the object appearing in Polish airspace.
The head of the Ministry of National Defense added that the Air Operations Center – Air Component Command, which reports to the Operational Commander, had received information from the Ukrainian side in December of the previous year about an object that could be a missile approaching Poland.
Piotrowski responded by urging restraint, calling for measured actions in the coming days to avoid provoking an aggressive opponent and to prevent division within the country. He urged a calm and reasonable approach.
The ministry stated that President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Morawiecki had received a report on the control of Poland’s air defense system. The conclusions suggested negligence on the part of the Operational Commander.
Recently, Paweł Szrot, head of the presidential office, announced that the warhead of the missile that landed near Bydgoszcz had been identified; it is constructed, in line with certain Russian technical concepts, from concrete components.