A Polish soldier who was stabbed by an illegal migrant attempting to cross the border with Belarus last week has died in a Warsaw hospital, Polish media outlets confirmed on Thursday.
“We regret to inform you that on June 6 in the afternoon at the Military Medical Institute in Warsaw, surrounded by the support of his family and soldiers, a soldier of the 1st Armored Brigade died with a knife,” read a statement from the General Command of the Armed Forces.
“Despite the help provided in the area of the bandit attack on the border with Belarus and the efforts of doctors, he did not survive,” it added.
The news broke on Thursday afternoon following initial reports by the RMF FM radio station that he had been deemed “clinically dead,” based on unconfirmed findings from one of its reporters.
“A soldier injured with a knife near the Belarusian border is clinically dead, an RMF FM reporter learned unofficially,” the station wrote.
This followed an update from Republika TV journalist Michał Jelonek revealing he had spoken to Major Magdalena Kościńska, a spokesperson for the 16th Pomeranian Mechanized Division, who said the soldier’s condition had “deteriorated” and he was “currently fighting for his life.”
The injury was sustained in the early hours of May 28 following a clash between soldiers manning the border and a group of around 50 migrants who tried to force their way onto Polish soil.
Remix News previously reported how the assailant reached through a gap in the steel border barrier and stabbed the soldier in the ribs, with the knife becoming lodged in the soldier’s body.
Several other soldiers sustained minor injuries during the assault on the border.
On Thursday, it was revealed that soldiers patrolling the border area of Dubicze Cerkiewne, near to where this incident took place, were detained by military police after firing warning shots to deter migrant advances earlier this year.
Poland’s Ministry of National Defense (MON) reported that the charges against the soldiers include endangering human life and health, as well as exceeding their authority. They have subsequently been suspended from duty pending a potential criminal investigation.
Following last week’s attack, the Polish Border Guard posted photos of the weapon used to harm those protecting the border, revealing a knife that had been attached to a long branch to create a bayonet capable of reaching officials on the other side of the barrier.
The Polish military prosecution service is investigating the incident, which was classified as attempted murder, a charge that may soon be upgraded.
