Too early for changes to army command over Bydgoszcz 'object' says report

A report on a military object found in a forest in northern Poland, now in the hands of the president, makes no justification for any decision concerning the command of the Polish Army, the country’s National Security Bureau (BBN) has said in a statement.

The object was found in a forest near the northern city of Bydgoszcz in late April. Its origins remain a mystery to the public, although there are suspicions it could be an unarmed Russian cruise missile that went astray after being launched to confuse Ukrainian air defences.

The prospect of a foreign missile travelling a long way over Polish territory had prompted speculation that someone in the Polish armed forces might be dismissed, but the BBN statement appears to reject this.

The statement also said that "the president has not been presented any motion regarding this case," which suggests that no personnel changes have been recommended.

"According to the president, responsible measures are needed now in order to avoid hasty decisions," the BBN said, adding that it had been doing its best to fully understand the incident.

It also reported that President Duda, who had been informed about the incident on April 26, during his visit to Mongolia, had ordered the BBN to immediately organise a meeting in order to find out all the facts from all the interested institutions, and keep him informed.

Meanwhile Mariusz Błaszczak, the defence minister, said on Thursday that the Operational Commander had failed to inform him about an unidentified object entering Polish airspace.

Błaszczak told the press conference that any decisions regarding disciplinary measures would be taken after consultations with the president.