A Polish judge has defected to Belarus, claiming he was “persecuted and intimidated” by the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk but sparking instead accusations he was a traitor serving Russia’s staunchest wartime ally.
During a news conference after his arrival in Minsk, judge Tomasz Szmydt praised Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for bringing stability.
He called on Warsaw to establish “good neighbourly relations” with Belarus and Russia, though Poland has spearheaded western efforts to help Ukraine resist Russia’s all-out invasion since February 2022, which Moscow launched in part by using Russian troops stationed in Belarus.