Gen. Tomasz Piotrowski made the appeal in a statement published on the Polish Army’s website on Friday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
The senior military official said: “I would like to appeal for sense, for everyone to rein in their emotions.”
He added that Poland and its army were "currently at a significant moment in a specific security situation.”
Piotrowski argued that it was important for Polish society not to let itself be divided.
He called on Poles to ensure that they "don’t give … the opponent an opportunity."
"Let's not allow ourselves to be divided into groups because that’s precisely what the opponent is waiting for,” he wrote.
‘We live in a state that is strong and just’
Piotrowski stated: “When I took up my role in September 2018, I said I was aware of the threats and dangers and would never cease to look after the security of our nation, our country, our citizens. Since that day, I have sought to fulfill my duties every day.”
He added: “I would also like to assure everyone that … there are tens of thousands of soldiers in Poland who do exactly the same thing every day. When they get up in the morning, they look in the mirror and ask themselves if they have done enough, if they have done everything for national security, and every day they strive to be more excellent, to be better, in order to look after our collective security, so that Poland is safer and more stable.”
Piotrowski went on to say: “I deeply believe that we live in a state that is strong and just. I also deeply believe in all the Polish people. I deeply believe that we are capable of demonstrating, amid the threat from the east, that we are aware, that we live in a democratic country, that we know what the justice system is for and that we won’t succumb to bad emotions.”
‘Military object’ found in north-central Poland
In late April, Poland’s defence ministry said that “the remains of an unidentified military object have been found in the vicinity of the village of Zamość, some 15 kilometres from Bydgoszcz.”
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki instructed Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak “to personally oversee the investigation and all the work designed to find a definite explanation” for the discovery.
Private broadcaster RMF FM reported on Wednesday that the "military object" found in north-central Poland last month was a Russian CH-55 missile.
Defence minister says army failed to report ‘military object’ entering Poland
Announcing the results of a government inquiry, Błaszczak said on Thursday that the Polish Armed Forces’ Airborne Operations Command had been alerted by Ukrainian officials about a possible Russian missile heading towards Poland on December 16.
The defence minister said that Poland in response raised combat readiness and Polish and American planes took off to monitor the situation, the IAR news agency reported.
Moreover, "in line with procedures," the Airborne Operations Command notified Piotrowski that “an unidentified object has entered Polish airspace,” according to Błaszczak.
But Błaszczak said the inquiry found Piotrowski "neglected to perform his duties by failing to inform" the government "about the object."
Błaszczak added that any “personnel decisions or disciplinary action will be taken after consulting the president, who has the ultimate authority over the armed forces.”
Friday is day 443 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, wojsko-polskie.pl