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On May 28, a Polish soldier patrolling the border with Belarus was fatally attacked, marking a tragic escalation in the border assaults organized by Minsk. Polish authorities have now identified the perpetrator.
The Polish soldier, who was attempting to patch a hole in the fence, was stabbed in the chest through the barrier by an assailant among a group trying to breach the border. He succumbed to his injuries on June 6.
Polish media reports indicate that the attack is part of a disturbing trend of similar assaults, which have plagued the border for several months.
Lukasz Wojdyga, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Warsaw Enterprise Institute, informed The Baltic Sentinel that after an intensive six-week investigation, Polish authorities have successfully identified the perpetrator. This meticulous identification process utilized CCTV footage, DNA analysis, and intelligence from informants operating within Belarus. Interrogations of other refugees further confirmed that the assailant originated from a Middle Eastern country.
NATO's First Fatality
This tragic incident represents the first fatality among NATO member state active military personnel on the Belarus border. However, it is not the first casualty. Since Minsk began weaponizing illegal immigration on a large scale in 2021, there have been numerous injuries. As of late June 2024, the Warsaw Enterprise Institute reports that 81 Polish soldiers, 7 police officers, and 13 border guards have been wounded or injured while serving on the Polish-Belarusian border.
The attacker remained in Belarus until recently and has now likely been evacuated to Syria. “Paradoxically, capturing him by Polish special forces inside Syria and bringing him to justice may even be easier than bringing him in from Belarus,” Wojdyga commented.