Military vs. blizzards

– Military boys from 9 BKPac aid to pave the way for personals. On their own initiative, they went out and helped themselves, they took shovels and they snowed the way," said 1 of the drivers standing in the snow. On the another hand, 1 of the women stuck in traffic told the reporter that for 5 hours she had run 100 m and, as she added, the soldiers from Braniewa were in the right place and time. "They started to aid and showed that they could always be counted on in crisis situations," she said.

We're arrogant of them for acting like this. This is how we effort to form our soldiers, not only to carry out tasks set by our superiors, but besides to aid others on their own initiative erstwhile needed," says Marta Hajkowicz from the press squad 9 BKPanc.

Five elder privates – specialists from the control cell of the Brigade's Braking Movement – went to aid drivers. “They returned in a service vehicle from the Polish-Belarusian border, where they performed their tasks,” says Hajkowicz. As he says, in the vicinity of Mława, soldiers were stuck in traffic, which formed a tractor with a semitrailer. The vehicle crossed the road and blocked it.

– Our soldiers offered to aid police officers regulate the traffic and after removing the obstacle blocking the road and its elimination they moved further to Braniew. Between Ostróda and Olsztynek, however, they were stuck again in traffic – describes Hajkowicz. As he adds, they did not wait for the road situation to improve. – They got out of the car and started to choice up snow from the snow-covered vehicles, shoveling the side of the road, and driving traffic so that vehicles could pass on the road. They arrived at the unit with a six-hour delay.

Heavy snowfall on the last day of the year besides blocked traffic on the streets of Ciechanov. With the aid of local services and residents, territorials moved. "On the basis of president Ciechanov's urgent request to support the activities of urban services in the manual snow removal of pavements and parking lots, after obtaining the approval of the Mazovia and MON voivods this morning, soldiers were active 5 Mazovian Territorial Defence Brigade“The Ciechanov City Office reported in a communication.

On the last day of the year, soldiers were besides on work as part of operations Horizon and ‘Tor’. "So that present we can enter the fresh 2026 in peace and security, soldiers of the Polish Army are engaged in support of services under Operation Horizon and Operation Track. Protection of strategical critical infrastructure facilities: this is their main task for the coming night. Thank you for your service!” said the press squad of the General Staff of the Polish Army on social media.

It is worth recalling that the decision to launch Operation Horizon was issued on 20 November last year by president Karol Nawrocki, and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, decided that from 21 November 2025 to 28 February 2026 units of armed forces would be directed to assist police in securing critical infrastructure. Soldiers besides support a police operation under the code name “Tor”.