General Mirosław Różański Passes Away at Age 62 Following a Long Illness

General Mirosław Różański, a distinguished soldier, former General Commander of the Armed Forces, and current senator, has died after a courageous battle with illness.

Tributes from State Officials and Military Leadership

– Soldier, commander, courageous man. Committed, uncompromising. Committed to the affairs of the Polish Army, each of the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces, the development of the armed forces, the development of various types of activities related to geopolitics, international politics – as gen. Mirosław Różański was remembered on Monday in a speech by Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Ministry of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

– As the head of the National Defense Commission, he set the bar very high for us. Until the end of his days, he co-created the strength of the Polish Army, the resilience of the armed forces and the strength of the Republic – he added.

“There are such news stories that it is hard to find the right words” – this is how the information about the senator’s death was commented on by the General Command of the Armed Forces.

“Mr. General, thank you for our conversations and your service. Your attitude has gone down in history, as I mentioned, among other things, in this year’s exposé. I express my condolences to his family and loved ones” – wrote Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski on the X portal.

A Career Dedicated to the Polish Armed Forces

“A man who gave a significant part of his life to the Polish army. He went through almost the entire military path. From platoon commander, through brigade and division, service in Iraq, to the position of General Commander of the Armed Forces. (…). The memory of a man who had his own opinion and was not afraid to voice it remains. Who demanded from his soldiers, but above all demanded from himself. Who believed that command is not a privilege. It is a responsibility” – it was emphasized.

Gen. Mirosław Różański was a senator of the current 11th term. To the Senate in the 2023 elections, Gen. Różański got from the ranks of Third Way, running from district number 20, covering part of the Lubusz Voivodeship with Zielona Góra. This year he ended his cooperation with Poland 2050 in the Senate and co-created the New Poland-Center Senate Club.

Gen. Mirosław Różański was associated with the Polish Army for almost his entire professional life. He twice commanded the 17th Wielkopolska Mechanized Brigade in Międzyrzecz. In this position, he was, among others, the initiator and implementer of a new training model for marksmen. In 2007, he became the commander of the brigade combat group during the 8th shift of the contingent in Iraq. The first general rank – brigadier general – he received in 2005, being then one of the youngest generals of the Polish Army.

Military Command and Post-Military Activity

He was also, among others, deputy head of the P-5 Strategic Planning Directorate in the General Staff of the Polish Army and chief of staff of the 11th Lubuskie Armored Cavalry Division. In August 2009, he became the commander of the 11th Lubuskie Armored Cavalry Division in Żagań.

Gen. Mirosław Różański as a co-creator of the General Command, which has been operating since the beginning of 2014 and was created by combining previously existing separate commands of land, naval, air and special forces. In 2013, Różański was the plenipotentiary of the Minister of National Defence for the implementation of a new system of management, direction and command of the armed forces, and then from August 2013 head of the organizational group of the General Command.

The position of General Commander gen. Różański took over in 2015 by decision of the then president Bronisław Komorowski; President Komorowski also appointed him at that time to the rank of lieutenant general. He resigned from his function at the end of 2016, before the end of his three-year term. After leaving the Polish Army, Gen. Różański established the Stratpoints Security and Development Foundation, the authorities of which also included other officers who parted ways with the army at that time, including Gen. Adam Duda.

Remembrances from Political Figures

“Mirek as a general did not go with the flow” – said Deputy Marshal of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia on the X portal.

“Mirek Różański has died. Soldier. He bravely fought the disease. We have been working together since 2019, when he joined my election campaign as the main expert on security and the Armed Forces. In 2023, with the support of Poland 2050, he became a senator and head of the Senate National Defense Commission. A couple of months ago our political paths parted, but this is irrelevant to much more important things,” Hołownia wrote.

As the former leader of Poland 2050 added, “Mirek as a general (and this varies) did not go with the flow. And most importantly: he was the kind of commander under whom soldiers wanted to serve, knowing that he would always be fair to them, that he would not order them to risk anything that he would not risk himself.”

“For the last few years we have been cheering for him very much when he undertook the most difficult fight – with an insidious disease. He loved his Wife more than life (always precisely calculating what ‘Różańska will allow’), he was touchingly – for such a tough guy – proud of his Daughter’s achievements,” Szymon Hołownia recalled.

“Mirek, we will miss your presence, commitment, reliable work for the most important matters. Rest in peace,” wrote KO Senator Grzegorz Schetyna on the X portal.

“A true soldier through and through. As a senator, always fighting for the interest of the Polish Army. Many serious talks about Poland and its security behind us over the years. Very brave in the fight against a multi-year illness. It is hard to accept that He is missing in such times. Honor to His Memory!” commented Tomasz Siemoniak, minister-coordinator of special services, and in the years 2011-2015 head of the Ministry of National Defence.