{"id":188442,"date":"2026-05-21T15:28:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/188442\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T15:29:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T12:29:01","slug":"mutual-accusations-after-polish-police-shoot-at-belarusian-man","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/188442\/","title":{"rendered":"Mutual accusations after Polish police shoot at Belarusian man"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Still from a video released by Belarusian police)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

May 21, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Authorities in Belarus and Poland have provided starkly different accounts of a shooting incident, in which a citizen of Belarus was allegedly seriously wounded by Polish police, with Minsk describing the man as a victim of an unprovoked attack and Warsaw claiming that police had acted in self-defense, causing only minor injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Siarhiej Kabakovi\u010d, spokesman for the Investigative Committee of Belarus, Polish police used firearms against a 60-year-old Belarusian, born in S\u0142onim, Hrodna region, without any reason while he was driving along the S8 highway near the city of Syc\u00f3w in Poland\u2019s southern Lower Silesian province on the night of May 12. The man allegedly sustained severe gunshot wounds to his head and limbs, and his vehicle was seriously damaged, with 29 bullet holes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDespite the injuries, the man later managed to cross the border, from where he was rushed to a medical institution in a very serious condition,\u201d Kabakovi\u010d claimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian investigators have already reconstructed the incident and identified the police officers who had shot at the Belarusian, Kabakovi\u010d said. He warned that the Investigative Committee would follow through with a detailed report and a \u201charsh legal assessment\u201d of the behavior of Polish police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TVN24.pl<\/em>, with reference to Marcin \u015awie\u017cy, police spokesman in the city of Wa\u0142brzych in the Lower Silesian province, described the events that had allegedly led to the shooting. In particular, local police officers reportedly approached two drivers in a roadside parking lot near the S8 highway to carry out an \u201cinspection,\u201d but one of the men got into his vehicle and hit the accelerator, driving over a policeman\u2019s foot. The fugitive was apprehended in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. His companion \u201ccaused no serious problems,\u201d \u015awie\u017cy said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, another man, their acquaintance, appeared at the scene while the incident was unfolding and drove his vehicle at the police officers, refusing to stop. The officers opened fire at him, believing that their \u201clife and health were in danger.\u201d They allegedly gave him first aid and called an ambulance, which brought him to a hospital. \u201cThe inquiries were not life-threatening,\u201d \u015awie\u017cy stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Polish prosecutor\u2019s office is reportedly probing why and how the officers used their weapons, and police are investigating why one of the men involved attempted to escape and another \u201cdrove at the officers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Investigative Committee of Belarus did not explain how the elderly Belarusian managed to reach the Belarusian border, nearly 310 miles from Syc\u00f3w, and cross it despite his \u201cvery serious wounds\u201d and a police manhunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement on May 19, the Belarusian foreign ministry said that the incident \u201craises serious doubts about the actual level of security claimed by the Polish side.\u201d The ministry warned that citizens of Belarus should take such risks into account when travelling abroad. \u201cIt cannot be ruled out that a law-abiding person could be mistaken for a lawbreaker and subjected to disproportionate force,\u201d the ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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