In August 2025, the Jan Karski Institute of War Losses presented an extraordinary discovery: the authentic ensign of ORP “Admiral Sierpinek”, one of the most important vessels of the legendary Pinsk Flotilla. This priceless artefact was found following information provided by Tomasz Strug, the son of the sailor who concealed the ensign shortly before the vessel was scuttled in September 1939.

The film is a recording of the press conference during which representatives of the Institute and state authorities discussed the significance of the discovery. The speakers included Lech Parell, Head of the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression; Jakub Stefaniak, Deputy Head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister; and Professor Grzegorz Motyka, Director of the Military Historical Bureau.

They emphasised the exceptional role played by the Pinsk Flotilla in defending the eastern borders of the Second Polish Republic, as well as the value of the surviving material evidence of its activities, very little of which has been preserved.

The heroic story of Petty Officer Józef Strug, who concealed the ensign throughout the Second World War, became a symbolic bridge between family memory and the history of Poland. Under the leadership of Dr Bartosz Gondek, the Institute is working with the descendants of the flotilla’s sailors on an appropriate form of commemoration and on the future use of this unique artefact.

The film also presents the historical background of the Pinsk Flotilla, a formation established in 1919. It operated in the area known as the Pinsk Sea and played a key role in shaping the defence system of the Second Polish Republic.