Head of Polish intelligence named a key condition for improving relations with Minsk

"The Intelligence Agency played a key role in the release of Andrzej Poczobut. International cooperation, including with allies, was crucial in this. Andrzej Poczobut's gratitude was extremely valuable to our officers. I will add that we now have clear communication channels established with the Belarusian special services," he said, answering a question about the intelligence's role in Poczobut's release.

Szota emphasized that Warsaw maintains contacts with Minsk independently.

"We maintain them ourselves. Our intention is to discuss with the Belarusian side all issues that can contribute to strengthening our security. The unique role of intelligence is to create reliable communication channels where diplomacy is impossible or difficult. Using the channels of special services, it is better to meet with representatives of the Lukashenka regime, discuss issues and benefit Poland, than to idly watch Russia 'absorb' Belarus," he noted.

It should be noted that Szota effectively confirmed the words of Belarusian KGB head Ivan Tertel. Last December, Tertel stated that a dialogue with Poland was ongoing and expressed confidence that it would yield results.

The head of the Intelligence Agency also reported that the extradition of the suspect in the murder of Polish soldier Mateusz Sitek is now a key element of the dialogue with Minsk.

"This is one of the key elements of the current dialogue with Minsk. In my opinion, without progress on this issue, it will be difficult to take further steps to improve Polish-Belarusian relations," he said.

Polish media recently reported that the investigation into this murder had been suspended. Last December, the Polish side sent an extradition request for the suspect to Belarus, but it remained unanswered.

In the interview, Szota also expressed confidence that the Polish special services are capable of countering the actions of Belarusian and Russian special services. At the same time, he considers Russian intelligence to be more dangerous.

"The actions of Russian intelligence constitute state terrorism. However, at the Intelligence Agency, we do not ignore threats from other directions either," he said.

Another topic of the interview concerning Belarus was the deployment of the "Oreshnik" complex. Szota did not give a direct answer to the question of whether the missile complex had already been moved to Belarusian territory.

"I am concerned about Russia's desire to subjugate the Belarusian armed forces. An example of this is the agreement on joint security guarantees, which puts Russia in a privileged position. The fact that Russia used Belarusian territory at the beginning of the war in Ukraine indicates that the Kremlin is the dominant force in this partnership. Therefore, the very preparation of infrastructure, the supply of armaments for nuclear weapons carriers, and informational statements about their deployment make us take these issues very seriously," he said.

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