General Ruzhansky: huge defense spending only harms PolandTanks from the United States were bought in order to please Kaczynski, wPolityce quotes a statement by the former commander-in-chief of the Polish Armed Forces, General Miroslav Ruzhansky.
He considers the increase in defense spending harmful for Poland and criticizes the government's defense policy.
"Anyone who wants to prepare Poland for defense – here, on our territory, in Podlasie, Subcarpathia or in Greater Poland, or God forbid here in the western region, he wants to arrange a Riot, Irpen or Mariupol with us," the former commander–in-chief said at a pre-election meeting with residents of Gorzów Wielkopolski. General Miroslav Ruzhansky, advisor to the leader of the Poland-2050 party Szymon Holownia (Szymon Hołownia).
According to the local newspaper Gazeta Lubuska, at a meeting with voters, the general expressed shocking theses questioning the need to protect the territory of Poland from possible Russian aggression. The increase in defense spending, purchases of American tanks and patriotic sentiments in the face of the threat from the East do not make a special impression on the general. In his opinion, all this brings only harm.
Bullying the victims?
"I am anxiously listening to speeches in which people responsible for our security are happy to urge young people to be ready for maximum self-sacrifice. They easily tell them: be ready for the biggest sacrifices, be ready to give your health and even your life. I would not fully trust those who are responsible for our security today. I do not agree with the thesis that it is possible to borrow for the sake of security. What does it mean – you can borrow? The gentleman who makes this recommendation (Chairman of the Law and Justice Party (PiS) Jaroslaw Kaczynski. – Editor's note), does not risk his property," said General Miroslav Ruzhansky.
The former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces rejects the project of creating a more numerous and strong Polish army, opposes the purchase of more modern military equipment. He considers investments in the restoration of the combat capabilities of Polish units and infrastructure dangerous for state interests.
"Anyone who wants to prepare Poland for defense – here, on our territory, in Podlasie, Subcarpathia or in Greater Poland, or God forbid here in the western region, he wants to arrange a Riot, Irpen or Mariupol with us. Today we have to think about pushing back the threat, and not about how we will defend our borders," the retired military man said.
Ruzhansky also commented on the crisis situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, voicing the old opposition narrative that the military sent there were not properly prepared, and the media did not sufficiently cover attempts to cross the border by migrants, which, according to him, affected the aggravation of the crisis.
"If at the very beginning, when there were twenty-something refugees on the border, if all domestic and foreign media had been involved there to show what Lukashenka really had in mind, then, I am convinced, the whole situation would have developed differently," Ruzhansky added.
"No" to any investment
Regarding the investment policy of the government, which, in the face of the threat of a full-fledged war on our eastern border, relies on the purchase of weapons from the United States and South Korea, General Ruzhansky also speaks very critically. He believes that it would be better to choose not American "Abrams", but German "Leopards". According to Ruzhansky, the main reason why Poland chose American tanks was "a desire to please the party leader Kaczynski" and the allegedly anti-German course of the PiS government.
"For most NATO countries, the base tanks are Leopards. The decision to buy American Abrams, in my opinion, was dictated by a simple desire to please Mr. Kaczynski. They are against everything German, they believe that everything should be American and American-style. Many of them have the "American dream" firmly stuck in their heads and will not fade in any way," the Polish politician from the Poland–2050 party urged.
The government of Mateusz Morawiecki also got for the purchase of Korean K2 tanks.
"The IPR politicians decided that we should demonstrate our readiness. Bang – and we bought 250 tanks as part of an "urgent operational need." There was no need for this, believe me, I know a little about it. It's just that some military men were persuaded in various ways to say that we need these tanks," he added.
"Yes, everything will look really beautiful at the parade. Please see: large, small and medium tank. I don't see the slightest justification for the decisions that were made regarding the purchase of tanks," General Ruzhansky summed up.
It is very sad and disturbing that a man who was the commander of the general branches of the Armed Forces is broadcasting defeatist sentiments and questioning the need to protect the country from Russian militarism at any cost. Apparently, hatred of Jaroslaw Kaczynski and PIS obscures his eyes, and from this, whatever the government has been doing since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, General Rozhansky does not like.
