Former WOT serviceman detained during livestream in Poland — Interia
In Poland, Mateusz Ritter, a former serviceman of the 12th Wielkopolska Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces, was detained during a livestream on social media. The Military Gendarmerie is carrying out the main actions concerning the man, Interia reports. According to Iwona Liszczyńska, a spokesperson for the Greater Poland police, the details and circumstances of the detention have not been officially disclosed.
Statement by the Territorial Defence Forces
Following the detention, Poland's Territorial Defence Forces published a statement on the reasons why Ritter had previously been dismissed from territorial military service. According to WOT, this occurred on August 14, 2026, due to violations of military discipline.
WOT stated that Ritter allegedly illegally filmed the premises of a military unit and distributed images of servicemen without their knowledge and consent. The military also accused him of using a uniform, military insignia and the unit's name for his own media activities. The statement separately mentioned the vulgar form of his publications, which, in WOT's view, did not meet the standards of conduct required of a serviceman.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
According to the Territorial Defence Forces, after completing his service, Ritter continued to publicly refer to himself as a plutonowy of the 12th Wielkopolska Brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces.
Conflict with command
Over recent weeks, Ritter published videos about a conflict with the brigade's leadership, named officers and non-commissioned officers, and questioned their competence. He stated that he was acting to defend other servicemen and intended to expose alleged violations within the unit. The allegations he made against the command have not been confirmed in the report.
As Radio Poznań reported, in mid-August the former serviceman was charged with several crimes, including defaming the brigade commander. WOT also stated that proceedings concerning Ritter are ongoing at the 13th Military Department of the Poznań-Grunwald District Prosecutor's Office in Poznań.
