A Polish Army General and four soldiers are being charged with neglect of duty after 240 lost anti-tank mines were discovered in an Ikea warehouse.
“The suspects are four soldiers, the case concerns neglect of duty regarding the unloading of a transport of munitions,” said Lukasz Wawrzyniak, a spokesman for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Poznan to Reuters about the suspects besides the General. “[They face] up to 5 years of imprisonment. None of the suspects have pleaded guilty.”
The five army members were fired and are facing prison sentences of up to five years. The catastrophic error occurred in the summer of 2024. A shipment of the mines bound to a cargo depot was not properly unloaded. The mines were transported and had been missing since June and were being moved via rail to Hajnowka, located on Poland’s eastern border. According to Polish media, the dismissal of Major General Artur Kępczyński, head of the Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, was tied to the blunder.
“First, personal conclusions were drawn against people who were below him. The general was supposed to draw consequences. I believe that more could have been done, which is why the final decision concerned the head of the inspectorate,” said Polish defense minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, after admitting that several months had passed since he learned what had happened.
Lost anti-tank mines in an Ikea
#Poland
— Boris Alexander Beissner (@boris_beissner) January 12, 2025
240 anti-tank #mines were found in a Polish IKEA – soldiers had accidentally sent them into a warehouse. Now they face up to 5 years in prison – RMF24 pic.twitter.com/rpnrlM2IC0
The mines were found in one of the cargo boxes that arrived from Ikea Industry Orla in Eastern Poland. The military police immediately responded and handled the situation, working with Ikea to safely execute the job.
“The box was collected by the military police on the same day,” said Malgorzata Dobies-Turulska, the chief executive of Ikea Industry Poland. “Cooperation with the military police went very smoothly.”
Wawrzyniak confirmed that the mines were in a secure state and that none were in danger of causing serious harm. The Polish defense minister Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the incident and recovery of the mines were handled with the relevant security protocols.
“Civilian supervision played a key role in this matter,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz. “Security procedures, explanatory procedures, corrective actions related to preparation, training, sending appropriate inspections and drawing personnel conclusions.”
Polish media reported that Major General Artur Kępczyński’s dismissal and charge had to do with a failure to report the incident, while the other soldiers were charged for falsifying documents. The mine shipment was reported as accurate in number until the missing ones were discovered in the Ikea and the truth was unveiled. The Polish army has not commented on the matter.
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