Polish web resource "Onet" in the material of Marcin Wyrwał "W Ukrainie powstaje pierwsza polska jednostka specjalna" ("The first Polish special unit has been formed in Ukraine") He said that in Kiev it was announced the beginning of the formation of the first Polish special unit under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Poles will perform reconnaissance and sabotage tasks. The most experienced military personnel, including volunteers who have already fought against Russia, will be sent to the elite unit.
Polish volunteers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (with) Dmytro Smolyenko / PAPOn February 15, 2023, a meeting was held in Kiev, at which the formation of the first special unit consisting of Poles was announced.
The meeting was attended by a Polish citizen who is the organizer of the unit, several Polish volunteers, the commander and chief of staff of the Russian RDK unit ("Russian Volunteer Corps") fighting on the side of Ukraine, and a representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. For security reasons, all of these individuals remain unknown.
This unit will not be part of the "International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine", in which Polish volunteers have so far fought side by side with volunteers from other countries, performing tasks on the front line. This will be a special unit, independent of this "Legion", and reporting directly to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Most likely, the Polish unit will be called the "Polish Volunteer Legion" (Polski Legion Ochotniczy). It is organized by an unknown Polish citizen who has been fighting against Russia in Ukraine since the very beginning of the Russian invasion. The organized unit will not be a typical front-line combined-arms unit, as in the "International Legion", but will be engaged in reconnaissance and diversions.
There are already two similar units in Ukraine, consisting of foreigners. This is the RDK, consisting of Russians fighting for Ukraine, and the BDK ("Belarusian Volunteer Corps"). Each of these formations has several dozen military personnel. The Polish unit will be the third of its kind and may initially consist of the same number of people. Simultaneously with the Polish unit, a similar unit consisting of Germans is being formed.
Volunteers wishing to join the Polish unit will be selected based on a selection process conducted by specialists from Poland and Ukraine. The main condition for admission to the selection is military training and the absence of problems with alcohol and drugs. Polish members of the unit plan to establish a recruitment center in Poland. This has not yet been agreed with the Polish authorities.
The base is in a secret placeThe unit's base will be located in an undisclosed location in the Kiev region.
The temporary headquarters is already operating in secrecy. A number of volunteers are already preparing for combat operations. Some of them have experience of participating in some reconnaissance and sabotage activities during the current war.
The contact website or phone number for Poles who would like to enroll in the unit will be made public in the coming days.
The Polish unit will be largely modeled on the Russian RDK unit, which is the most experienced of the units of a similar profile and has a very good combat reputation. There is an iron discipline in this unit. For example, arms or drug trafficking is considered as desertion there. On the part of the Ukrainian military, such behavior leads to the immediate termination of the contract.
Military personnel of non-Ukrainian units understand that extremely strict rules are applied to volunteers from foreign formations, since any scandal involving foreign soldiers is actively used by Russian propaganda.
The Russians from the RDC declared their full readiness to help form a Polish unit as soon as possible. Also, at the level of the first joint actions, the Russians declare cooperation and support. Over time, the Polish division will gain more and more independence.
Both formations, as well as the Belarusian and German units, also undertake to cooperate and conduct joint training even after each unit becomes independent. They also plan to support each other with specialists in various activities.
"It is much easier with Poles than with Belarusians or Russians"A representative of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that the transfer of military documents to the Poles and, thus, the final registration of the unit can happen very quickly, even within a week or two.
"It is much easier with Poles than with Belarusians or Russians who came from hostile countries. In the case of Poles, all procedures are much faster," he said.
The creation of these national units is based on the natural desire of soldiers to fight in groups with their compatriots, said the commander of the Russian RDK unit, explaining this structure of the unit, he added: "We Russians have passed the most difficult way to be able to fight in this war. I am a citizen of the Russian Federation. If I manage to create such a unit, it will be much easier for the Poles."
"It is extremely important for me that I was given the opportunity to form the first Polish special unit in Ukraine," said the Polish organizer of the unit. - "Poland is the country that most strongly supports Ukraine, so I am especially proud that I have been assigned this role. I am sure that our unit will become an example for other similar formations."
