As a result, five illegal immigrants were arrested and taken into custody by the Border Guard
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Polish soldiers opened fire with rubber bullets at a group of illegal immigrants who were attempting to cross into Poland from the Belarusian side, injuring an undocumented Sudanese individual, according to the country's army on Wednesday.
The incident took place during the night, in an area controlled by the Polish Border Guard station in Narewka, located in the northeast of Polish territory.
An army officer named Blazej Lukaszewski explained to the media: “In accordance with current procedures, the soldiers of the task force employed direct coercive measures, including weapons with rubber bullets. These actions were due to noncompliance with orders and were intended to ensure the safety of the soldiers and counteract the aggressive behavior of the migrants.”
Soldados polacos.
In an official statement, the Polish army stated that “the detained migrants crossed the state border illegally and at a location not designated for that purpose, which constitutes a crime.”
As a result, five undocumented individuals were detained and placed in the custody of the Border Guard, while no soldier sustained injuries. One of the illegal immigrants was transported by the Border Guard to the Emergency Department of Hajnowka Hospital, located 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from the border.
“The Sudanese citizen was diagnosed with a gunshot wound to the thigh, caused by a rubber bullet fired from a smoothbore weapon. The migrant's life is not in danger,” the official statement indicates. Additionally, in light of the current migration crisis and the increase in violent incidents at the border between Poland and Belarus, support was expressed for the soldiers of the Polish Army and the officers of the Border Guard who work to protect national security.
Soldados polacos.
Last week, Polish border agents were attacked with bottles, including Molotov cocktails, according to authorities. Poland's Minister of Defense, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, stated on the social network X: “The soldiers are being attacked not only with stones, but also with bottles filled with flammable liquid.”
The Polish government accuses Belarus and its ally Russia of fueling this border crisis through the sending of illegal immigrants with the aim of destabilizing Poland and the European Union. It is noted that since mid-2021, Belarus has been facilitating the entry of undocumented individuals from the Middle East and Africa into Poland, and thus into the EU, through the forested and swampy areas of the country's northeast.
