The charges

Prosecutors in Warsaw filed an indictment on Thursday 23 July 2026 against Antoni Macierewicz, a Law and Justice (PiS) MP and former minister of national defence. The Regional Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw accuses him of insulting and slandering the leadership of the Military Counterintelligence Service (SKW) during a parliamentary debate on 11 September 2025. The case will be heard by the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście.

Prosecutor Mateusz Martyniuk, spokesperson for the Regional Prosecutor's Office, confirmed that Macierewicz is charged under Article 226 § 1 and Article 212 § 2 of the Penal Code. The offences carry a penalty of a fine, restriction of liberty, or imprisonment of up to one year.

What was said in the chamber

The remarks were made during the 40th sitting of the 10th-term Sejm, broadcast live on the parliamentary website. The debate concerned a report by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on violations of Polish airspace by Russian drones.

According to the parliamentary transcript, Macierewicz told the chamber that the incident was "not an accident, not an ad-hoc action, it was the beginning of a war." He continued: "We can win this war, but only if the leadership of the Military Counterintelligence Service no longer consists of Russian agents appointed by Donald Tusk in 2011." The transcript notes the sentence was not finished because it caused "commotion in the chamber."

“They are now once again the heads of the Military Counterintelligence Service, the formation with the greatest knowledge of the army and what the army is doing. And these are people who collaborated with Russian special services. How long will you tolerate them? How long will you support them?”

The three officers named

Macierewicz directed his accusations at three named officers: the head of the SKW, Brigadier General Dr Jarosław Stróżyk, and his two deputies, Colonel Krzysztof Dusza and Colonel Artur Pluto. The prosecution states that by calling them "Russian agents" and accusing them of collaborating with Russian special services, Macierewicz exposed them to public humiliation and to the loss of trust necessary to hold their posts, acting to their detriment.

Path to the indictment

The SKW leadership itself filed the notification with the prosecutor's office. In January 2026, a request to lift Macierewicz's parliamentary immunity was submitted to the Sejm, announced at the time by Prosecutor General's spokesperson Anna Adamiak. The Sejm voted to strip his immunity on 30 April 2026, clearing the way for criminal proceedings. Formal charges of insulting public officials and slandering them were presented to Macierewicz on 9 June 2026.

Reaction from the Prosecutor General

Prosecutor General Waldemar Żurek commented on the social media platform X, stating that the accusations "strike at people responsible for state security and the credibility of the institutions that protect the Republic of Poland from the activities of foreign services."

“If someone publicly formulates such serious accusations, they must be ready to answer for their words before an independent court.”

Żurek added that Macierewicz's guilt would now be determined by the justice system. Macierewicz has previously told a parliamentary regulatory committee that he was surprised by the prosecutor's actions and has characterised the case as political in nature.