Polish Defense Ministry Refutes Fakes About Death of Military Commander

In Poland, the death of Lieutenant Colonel Konrad Barnaś, chief of staff of the 12th UAV base in Miroslawiec, was used to spread disinformation by pro-Russian accounts on social networks.

On Wednesday, September 17, the 12th UAV base in Mirosławiec reported the death of Lieutenant Colonel Konrad Barnaś, chief of the aforementioned military unit. The obituary states that the commander died on September 12 at the age of 45.

Disinformation accounts on social networks quickly picked up on this topic, taking advantage of the fact that the officer’s death was not reported for several days, RMF 24 wrote.

They claimed that his death coincided with the Russian drone invasion of Poland and the arrival of a Ukrainian An-70 transport plane “with a mysterious cargo” in Poland. There were also suggestions that the soldier died while fighting in Ukraine.

The Polish Ministry of Defense responded to these speculations. On Thursday evening, the department published a post on the X platform, in which it called for the prohibition of the spread of disinformation.

“STOP DISINFORMATION! Beware of false information appearing online regarding the death of the Chief of Staff of the 12th Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Base in Mirosławiec. Considering the deceased soldier’s good name and the difficult time for his loved ones, we ask that this tragedy not be exploited for any disinformation purposes or to create conspiracy theories claiming different causes of death,” the Ministry of National Defense emphasized.

It was emphasized that the cause of death of Lieutenant Colonel Konrad Barnaś was a long-term illness.

“Given the good reputation of the deceased soldier and the difficult time for his relatives, we ask that you do not use this tragedy for any purposes of disinformation or the creation of conspiracy theories indicating other causes of death,” the Ministry of National Defense stated.

Barnaś was a paratrooper and also the chief of staff of the 12th base of unmanned aerial vehicles in Miroslawiec. The military unit, established in 2016, is designed to conduct visual and electronic reconnaissance, as well as to deliver precision strikes on ground and surface targets.

Earlier, in 2011, Lieutenant Colonel Barnaś served in Afghanistan in the reconnaissance group of the Polish special forces.

Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stressed on social networks that the spread of Russian propaganda and disinformation is an action to the detriment of the Polish nation.

Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński called for not using Russian drone attacks to divide society and called those who do so “useful idiots of the Kremlin.”