Deputy Minister of Defense Cezary Tomczyk informed the Sejm that “severe consequences” had been drawn in connection with the case of over 200 anti-tank mines lost last year. He reported that the mines were transported unarmed. – From the very beginning, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, i.e. President Andrzej Duda, was informed about each of these matters – he emphasized.
In January, the media reported that last summer, when unloading a train with military equipment near Szczecin, soldiers did not unload the entire transport. As a result anti-tank mines left on the train “went further into Poland”were eventually found in an IKEA warehouse.
At the beginning of the Sejm session that resumed on Thursday PiS MP Andrzej Åšliwka asked representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, among other things, why the public learned about the case from media reports and not directly from the ministry.
READ MORE: The mines “went to Poland”. Military personnel face up to five years in prison
The deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense replied Cezary Tomczyk. – In July 2024, the persons responsible for unloading and registering munitions did not report the lack of property to their superiors. Earlier, one of the soldiers submitted a report on the completion of the transport, not stating any irregularities and thus confirming the untruth, he pointed out.
According to his account, between July 12 and 16, people responsible for transport began searching on their own without notifying their superiors about the matter. He added that the mines were transported unarmed, in accordance with the applicable procedure. – From the very beginning, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, i.e. the president, was informed about each of these matters Andrzej Duda – he said.
Deputy head of the Ministry of National Defense, Cezary TomczykTVN24
An order was issued to “draw severe consequences”
Tomczyk said that transport irregularities were detected by the Operations Center of the Minister of National Defense, and this information was forwarded to the Support Inspectorate.
– Then the inspection began, a commission was appointed in the first and second RBLog (Regional Logistics Base – ed.) and irregularities were found in the transfer and storage of combat assets. All relevant authorities were immediately notified about the above, including the supervisory authorities, the military police and the military counterintelligence service, assured the deputy head of the ministry.
He emphasized that the head of the Ministry of National Defense WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw Kosiniak-Kamysz he then issued an order to “draw strict consequences” and change procedures. He added that “a number of training sessions were also carried out and all stock levels were checked in this regard.”
Following media reports regarding the lost mines, the Ministry of National Defense announced on January 9, 2024 that Maj. Gen. Artur Kępczyński was dismissed from the position of head of the Inspectorate of Armed Forces Support by the Minister of Defense. The reasons for this decision were not given, but according to media reports, the dismissal was related to the disappearance of the mine. The new head of the Inspectorate of Armed Forces Support is Brig. Gen. Dariusz Mendrala.
Charges against soldiers
The deputy district prosecutor for military affairs of the District Prosecutor's Office in PoznaÅ„, Col. Bartosz Okoniewski, informed that an investigation into the disappearance of the mines has been ongoing since August last year. He then explained that charges in this case were brought against four people – three soldiers from the Mosty material depot (West Pomeranian Voivodeship) and one soldier from the Hajnówka material depot (Podlaskie Voivodeship). They concern – as the prosecutor explained – “lack of supervision over military property in the form of mines.”
Colonel Okoniewski indicated that two of the suspects were officers and the other two were non-commissioned officers. Some pleaded guilty to the crime they were accused of. They are all active duty military members. He informed that the case concerned a total of 240 mines located in several crates, and all of them had been recovered. He also explained that “only after some time it was realized that not everything was accepted.”
Okoniewski said that 240 mines were in one wagon, which ended up on a railway siding next to the IKEA warehouse. He added that the cargo with mines was discovered by an employee PKP Cargo. “When he inspected it, he found that there was something else in one of the wagons. IKEA simply wanted to use them (the wagons – ed.) and asked for them to be emptied, and a problem arose,” he pointed out.
According to the Penal Code, a soldier who, by failing to fulfill his duty or exceeding his powers regarding the protection or supervision of weapons or ammunition, causes their loss, even unintentionally, may be subject to military arrest or imprisonment from three months to five years.
Main photo source: TVN24