A Polish soldier who was stabbed last month from behind a barrier at the border with Belarus has died, according to military officials. The soldier was hospitalized for days.
Poland's military says a soldier who was stabbed last month from behind a barrier at the border with Belarus has died. It said earlier the soldier was stabbed in the chest by a migrant who reached through the bars of the border barrier. The soldier was hospitalized in serious condition in the town of Hajnowka. On Thursday he was taken to a military hospital in Warsaw but died there in the afternoon, the military said.
Poland and the EU say many of the migrants are organized and aided by Russia and its ally Belarus to destabilize Europe. Their pressure intensified this spring, ahead of key elections to the European Parliament. In-person voting began on Thursday, in the Netherlands, with the other 26 EU member states due to go to the polls by June 9. The border is patrolled by Polish army troops and border guards.
Government officials say the detention was an excessive measure given the circumstances. 'This is a shocking case, considering the fact that our soldiers were recently repeatedly attacked by aggressors from the Belarus side,' President Andrzej Duda said. Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said the military police overreacted and demanded clarification from them and from the prosecutors who are investigating. One of the soldiers detained has been cleared of the allegations.