The Polish Sejm passed a law granting amnesty to citizens fighting for the Armed Forces of Ukraine
14 February 21:15
The Polish Sejm, the lower house of parliament, has passed a bill exempting Poles fighting on the side of Ukraine from criminal liability.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to DW.
In the vote, which took place on Friday, February 13, 429 out of 460 deputies took part. 406 deputies voted in favor of the bill, 4 against, and 19 abstained.
Currently, military activity on behalf of another state (not only service, but also, for example, recruitment) without the permission of the Polish Ministry of Defense is punishable by imprisonment for a term of three months to five years.
According to the Polish state radio station Polskie Radio 24, the bill provides, in particular, for the amnesty of Polish citizens convicted under the article on mercenary activity since April 6, 2014. At that time, armed clashes between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists began in Donbas.
The document has now been submitted to the Sejm and is to be considered by the Senate on December 5. If approved, the bill will be sent to President Karol Nawrocki for signature. The document is expected to come into force three months after its possible approval by the head of state. It is not specified how many Poles will be affected by it.
Tusk: Poland and Ukraine to jointly produce weapons
On February 5, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in Kyiv on a visit. On the same day, he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a declaration of intent to jointly produce weapons and ammunition. According to the Ukrainian leader, the countries intend to jointly produce “drones and other weapons.”
Tusk added that his country is ready to transfer MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv in exchange for UAV technology. He said that Warsaw is continuing to work on further arms supplies to Ukraine. The new aid package from Poland is expected to cost around €47 million.
