Poland’s commission looking into Russian influences finds ex-defense minister at fault

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The head of a commission investigating Russian and Belarusian influences in Poland says it will refer to prosecutors a former defense minister whose decisions it said impaired Poland’s defenses ahead of Russia’s war on Ukraine. The commission was launched in May by the pro-European Union government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The head of the commission and the Military Counterintelligence Service said Wednesday that Antoni Macierewicz, defense minister in 2015-18, without any analysis or consultation, canceled plans to purchase tanker aircraft for Poland’s F-16 jet fighters. He said it reduced their airborne time and defense capabilities. The commission called it a “diplomatic treason.”