Russia is not invincible. It lost to Japan at the turn of the century, was defeated by Poles in 1920, and today, for over three years, it struggles with its attack on Ukraine, said President Karol Nawrocki in a speech on the occasion of Polish Armed Forces Day.
Polish Armed Forces Day – Karol Nawrocki: We Won Against Anti‑Civilization
Karol Nawrocki emphasized that the great victory of the Poles in 1920 over the Bolsheviks left contemporary Poles a beautiful, important lesson. A testimony and deep legacy that we must read. Every year on August 15 in us, in the modern Polish nation, the spirit of the victors, the spirit of a proud nation ready for the most important values, is born, said the president. In 1920 we defeated the Soviet, Bolshevik anti‑civilization. For Poland, for Europe, for the world it was a victory. As he said, “we should be, in the short term, not the third but the first strongest army of the North Atlantic Alliance in Europe.” I will pursue this as Poland’s president over the coming years, he declared.
New Strategy
The president highlighted that the victory of 1920 shows that we won thanks to cooperation. Not only the cooperation of all parties from 1920, accumulated in the National Defense Government, but also because Polish peasants, along with students, scouts, and patriots, took the fight against the Bolsheviks. Professional soldiers had already secured independence in 1918 and fought in 1920. Nawrocki said. The president emphasized that together with the government and the prime minister he must “lean over the fundamental documents of the national security strategy.” I deeply believe that the only emotion that will be in the new national security strategy and the executive documents will be the emotion of the Polish state reason, a clear declaration to defend every cent of Polish land. Poland is one, and the Vistula line is not its border, he said.
Addressing Tusk: It Must Happen as Soon as Possible
He said the victory of 1920 left us another important lesson: today’s neo‑imperial Russia is not invincible. It lost to Japan at the turn of the century, was shattered by Poles in 1920, and for more than three years it has been choking on its attack on Ukraine, bolstered by allied and solidarity of the nations of freedom, especially Poland. We know that if a government or society does not pay for its army, the price will be paid by foreign arms. That is not what we want. Therefore I will demand the conclusion of talks and the decision to allocate 5 % of the Polish GDP to defense as soon as possible. Polish security requires this today.
