“Soldiers serving at the border do not receive quality equipment, complain about existing conditions, and have to buy their own gear. And on top of that, they are being prosecuted. For what? For defending the border, for acting in conditions that threaten their health and life. They put themselves at risk to protect us, and the Polish state and Donald Tusk’s services are going after them. This is an absolute scandal,” said Paweł Jabłoński, a Law and Justice (PiS) MP, speaking to Niezależna.pl, commenting on the case of a Polish Army soldier who faced charges for using a firearm during a pursuit of a group of migrants, which accidentally resulted in the shooting of a Syrian citizen.
In the autumn of 2023, during a pursuit of a group of migrants in the Białowieża Forest, a Polish Army soldier accidentally shot a Syrian citizen. According to experts, the weapon used had design defects. The defense, in turn, emphasizes that the soldier was acting within the scope of protecting the state border. Despite this, the soldier faced criminal charges, while the injured Syrian, currently residing in Poland, is demanding… compensation. The foreigner, who was transported from Moscow via Minsk to Poland, is represented by attorney Piotr Zemła, chairman of the supervisory board of TVP in liquidation.
The incident occurred on November 2, 2023, near the village of Topiło in the Białowieża Forest. Soldiers from the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade were called to support the Border Guard after a group of about ten migrants crossing the border was detected. Under the command of Second Lieutenant Ł., the patrol deployed soldiers in the forest. When the migrants did not respond to calls of “Wojsko Polskie, stop!” and “Polish Army, stop!” and moved toward the patrol, the officer fired a warning shot and then a cautionary shot from a PM 98 submachine gun. The group then began to flee, and the soldiers pursued them, Onet reported on Friday.
During the chase, the second lieutenant tripped and fell, causing the weapon to discharge uncontrollably. The bullet struck a 22-year-old Syrian in the spine. Ballistic analyses confirmed that three shots were fired from the officer’s weapon. Immediately after the incident, soldiers provided first aid, applied a dressing, and stabilized him until the military ambulance arrived. The Syrian was transported to a hospital in Hajnówka and later to Białystok, where the bullet was removed. After a few weeks, he was discharged.
In his testimony, however, the injured man claimed that he did not receive aid and that the soldier shot him immediately. Other soldiers’ accounts and video recordings contradict this – footage shows that the injured man was conscious, responsive, and did not lose blood as described in his testimony, while Second Lieutenant Ł. and other soldiers attended to him according to procedure.
On May 27, 2025, Second Lieutenant Ł. faced charges under Article 354 §1 of the Penal Code for negligent handling of a firearm, punishable by up to three years in prison. But that is not all. The Syrian, who remains in Poland, is demanding compensation directly from the soldier.
“This Is a Betrayal of the State Toward People Defending Security”
Niezależna.pl asked Paweł Jabłoński, a PiS MP, lawyer, and former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, to comment on the events.
“There is still a special investigative team pursuing soldiers and officers, established by former Attorney General Adam Bodnar and still functioning under Waldemar Żurek,” our interlocutor reminded.
“They have beautiful words on their lips about defending the uniform and the good name of soldiers, but in reality, they are going after the people who protect the security of the state,” he added.
“This is directly the responsibility of Attorney General Żurek, who should be dismissed,” he continued.
“Soldiers serving at the border do not receive quality equipment, complain about existing conditions, and have to buy their own gear. And on top of that, they are being prosecuted. For what? For defending the border, for acting in conditions that threaten their health and life. They put themselves at risk to protect us, and the Polish state and Donald Tusk’s services are going after them. This is an absolute scandal. If this continues, we expose ourselves to enormous danger,” warned MP Jabłoński.
Our interlocutor also referred to attorney Piotr Zemła, chairman of the supervisory board of TVP in liquidation, who represents the foreigner.
“Attorney Zemła is de facto an official of today’s government. He carried out the takeover of public media, so he is a representative of Donald Tusk’s state. This fits into the pattern of people associated with Tusk’s government acting in this case against Polish soldiers. This soldier is being prosecuted today by the full force of the state apparatus and also faces a lawyer connected to the government. The entire Tusk services apparatus is acting against Polish soldiers,” he pointed out.
The case was also commented on for Niezależna.pl by Marcin Ociepa, former Deputy Minister of National Defense.
“Judge Tomasz Szmydt was apparently not the only Russian-Belarusian agent in the Polish justice system. The relentless, nonchalant bringing of charges against Polish soldiers over the past two years for using firearms – for which they are trained – to defend the border, which they swear to protect, is not an accident but a deliberate policy to weaken the Polish State,” he said.