On 8 August, Piotr Krawczyk, head of foreign intelligence agency Agencja Wywiadu (AW) and the figure at the forefront of the West's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine (IO, 15/03/22), unexpectedly stepped down, to the surprise of Poland's intelligence community. Krawczyk studied Iranian history and culture and previously worked as a political adviser for the Polish contingent in Afghanistan, the White Eagle Task Force in Ghaznia. He served as Polish ambassador in Afghanistan and then in Turkey