Polish soldier dies after being stabbed at Belarus border preventing migrants crossing

A Polish soldier who was last week stabbed with a knife while trying to stop a group of migrants from forcing their way across the border from Belarus has died of his injuries.

“We regret to inform you that on the afternoon of 6 June, the soldier of the 1st Armored Brigade who was stabbed died at the Military Medical Institute in Warsaw, surrounded by the support of his family and soldiers,” wrote the general command of Poland’s armed forces in a statement.

“Despite the help provided [to the soldier] in the vicinity of ​​the thuggish attack on the border with Belarus and the efforts of doctors, his life could not be saved,” they added. “Mateusz, our brother in service, you have fulfilled the words of the oath. Rest in peace.”

The incident in question took place on 28 May. The soldier, whose surname has not been released, was reportedly stabbed with a knife through the fence erected on the border to prevent illegal crossings.

It came amid an ongoing surge in the number of attempted crossings by migrants with the encouragement and support of Belarus and Russia.

Recent weeks have also seen an uptick in aggression from some of those trying to cross, resulting in a number of Polish officers being injured.

In response, the Polish government last week announced that it would reintroduce an exclusion zone preventing people from approaching the Polish side of the border. It has also increased the number of soldiers and police supporting border guards at the frontier with Belarus.

Today, foreign minister Radosław Sikorski noted that almost all of those currently being detained at the border have Russian visas. He said they were being deliberately sent by Russia as part of a “hybrid offensive” against Poland and the EU.

Expressions of sympathy for the deceased soldier and his family immediately began to pour in from across the political spectrum in Poland.

“A young soldier, Mateusz, gave his life defending the border of the Republic of Poland,” wrote Prime Minister Donald Tusk. “The homeland and compatriots will not forget this sacrifice. I express my deepest condolences to his loved ones.”

“His sacrifice and devotion to the homeland are an example of the highest courage,” added defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. “We share the pain of his family and loved ones.”

“We are losing one of our modern heroes – a defender of our border,” wrote Mariusz Błaszczak, Kosiniak-Kamysz’s predecessor as defence minister and now an opposition figure. “Condolences to the family, loved ones and colleagues from the Polish Army.”

On Tuesday, it had been announced by a military spokesman that the soldier’s condition was “serious but stable”. An appeal was issued for people to donate blood.

On Wednesday, prosecutors announced that an investigation into the attempted murder of the soldier had been handed over to the military affairs department of the district prosecutor’s office in Warsaw. The perpetrator of the attack, however, has not been identified.

Separately, on Wednesday a media report revealed that two Polish soldiers had been charged over another incident earlier this year in which they had fired warning shots at migrants trying to force their way across the border.

That prompted criticism from the opposition, who claimed that the government was hindering soldiers in their defence of the border. However, government figures, including Kosiniak-Kamysz, also expressed anger over the fact that the soldiers had been charged.

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: MSWIA (under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 PL)

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.