"The military gendarmerie is investigating an attack on a soldier on the border with Belarus. According to unofficial information from RMF FM, a smooth-bore weapon was used," the report reads.
According to the radio station, near the village of Michalowo, Podlaskie voivodeship, three migrants wanted to cross the river into Poland. Two of them turned back at the sight of a Polish patrol. The third tried to move on.
"According to the servicemen, the migrant was aggressive and attacked one of the servicemen. In his direction were fired rubber bullets from a smoothbore weapon," - noted in the message.
It is specified that the Polish soldier was not seriously injured. The fate of the migrant is not reported.
Later, the head of the press service of the group of troops “Podlasie” Blazej Lukaszewski told reporters that the illegal immigrant “directly attacked” the soldier, as a result of which “the life and health of the soldier was in danger”.
According to him, the military man suffered injuries. "The soldier was given first aid, after which he was taken to the hospital. At the moment he cannot perform service as his condition is stable, but as a result of the injury his eye is so swollen that he can't see well," Lukaszewski said.
In April, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a law allowing to deny the right to asylum to foreigners who arrived in the country illegally. Immediately afterwards, Prime Minister Donald Tusk issued an order based on this law, which allows not to grant asylum to illegal migrants.
In mid-2021, several thousand migrants hoping to enter the EU countries piled up on the Polish-Belarusian border. Since then, several hundred illegal migrants have been trying to enter Poland every month.
Polish authorities have strengthened border security, deployed the military and suppressed attempts of illegals to cross the border, blaming the leadership in Minsk for the migration crisis. Belarus rejects all these accusations, saying that Poland forcibly expels migrants to its territory and artificially inflames the refugee situation.