A Polish military commander ordered back to Warsaw amid a counter-intelligence probe has denied any wrongdoing, after unspecified concerns were raised about his level of security clearance.
Lieutenant General Jarosław Gromadziński, who had been serving as the commander of Eurocorps—a joint military group of European Union and NATO states—since June 2023, was relieved of command this week.
“The Military Counter-Intelligence Service initiated inspection proceedings regarding the personal security clearance of Lieutenant General Jarosław Gromadziński in connection with obtaining new information about the officer,” a Defense Ministry statement published on Wednesday said.
The ministry added that another officer has already been assigned to lead Eurocorps to “ensure continuity” in the role “with immediate effect.”
Gromadziński, who previously served in Iraq and commanded Poland’s 18th Mechanized Division, denied any wrongdoing in a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter.
“With reference to numerous comments and speculation related to the inspection proceedings initiated by the Military Counterintelligence Service into my security clearance, I would like to state that throughout my 34 years of professional military service, I have always prioritized the welfare of the military and the well-being of the homeland, often at the expense of my family,” he wrote.
“I would like to declare that I have nothing to blame myself for. I believe that the inspection procedure initiated by the Military Counterintelligence Service will end positively for me.”
PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP via Getty Images
In his role leading Eurocorps, Gromadziński had been involved in training Ukrainian soldiers for frontline roles in Kyiv’s ongoing defensive war against Russia. Neither Gromadziński nor the Defense Ministry suggested the counter-intelligence probe had any link to Russia, though rumors spread on social media.
Eurocorps is a multinational formation made up of troops from 11 nations: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Austria, Greece, Italy, Romania and Turkey. The unit is based in Strasbourg in eastern France, and is authorized to take part in United Nations and NATO evacuation, humanitarian, peacekeeping, crisis management missions.
The unit has previously been deployed on missions to nations including Mali, the Central African Republic, and Afghanistan.
Russian infiltration into NATO militaries—always a concern for a 75-year-old alliance established to contain Soviet, and later Russian, aggression—is currently of particular concern as Western nations mobilize in support of Ukraine.
This year has begun with notable intelligence failures. In February, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared to inadvertently reveal the presence of British and French troops inside Ukraine, suggesting they were assisting Kyiv’s forces in the use of Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles.
Shortly after, Russian authorities released an audio recording of a video conference between senior German military officials, in which they discussed how Berlin’s military aid could be used by Ukrainian forces. The officials also appeared to confirm the presence of NATO forces inside Ukraine.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius framed the incident as “part of an information war that Putin is waging.” He added: “It is a hybrid disinformation attack. It is about division. It is about undermining our unity.”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.