A Polish soldier has crossed the border into Belarus and claimed asylum, saying that he is opposed to the Polish government’s policies, according to Polish, Belarusian and Russian sources.
The soldier’s regiment has confirmed that he is missing, but the defence ministry tells Notes from Poland that they are still investigating reports regarding his whereabouts.
The alleged defection comes amid an ongoing crisis at the border, where tens of thousands of people – mainly from the Middle East – have been trying to cross into Poland with the help of the Belarusian authorities. In response, Poland has stationed thousands of troops along the frontier.
Belarusian Border Committee claims that last night a 25-year-old Polish soldier of the 16th Pomeranian Mechanised Division, Emil Czeczko, crossed the border into Belarus and sought political asylum "because of his disagreement with Poland's policy on the migration crisis". pic.twitter.com/9EnndgroMd
— Tadeusz Giczan (@TadeuszGiczan) December 17, 2021
The Belarusian state border authorities have named the soldier as 25-year-old Emil Czeczko, who belonged to the 11th Masurian Artillery Regiment of the 16th Pomeranian Mechanised Division.
They say he fled Poland as he disagreed with its government’s “policy regarding the migration crisis and the practice of inhuman treatment of refugees”, and that he has applied for political asylum in Belarus.
Such claims fit closely with Belarusian propaganda, which has sought to portray Poland as treating the people attempting to cross its border from Belarus brutally . Multiple accounts, however, have indicated that Belarusian officers have used violence against the migrants and refugees.
The Belarusian KGB used fake social media accounts to fuel the crisis on its border with Poland, says @Meta (formerly known as Facebook)
The profiles, which posed as journalists and activists, accused Poland of abusing migrants trying to cross into the EU https://t.co/Nztim4XZXa
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) December 2, 2021
Polish broadcaster RMF reports that it has unofficially confirmed that the Polish soldier did cross the border and claimed asylum because of his opposition to Polish policy. “This will certainly be exploited by the regime of [Belarusian President] Lukashenko,” notes its correspondent, Marek Balawajder.
Poland’s defence ministry has so far neither confirmed nor denied the reports. A spokeswoman from the ministry’s press office told Notes from Poland that they are looking into the issue and hope to soon have more information.
Just after 11 a.m., the 16th Mechanised Division issued a statement – which was retweeted by the defence ministry – confirming that a soldier from the 11th Artillery Regiment was yesterday confirmed as missing. They said that a search for him is underway and that reports that he has fled to Belarus cannot be confirmed.
— 16 Dywizja Zmechanizowana (@16Dywizja) December 17, 2021
Update
In a tweet this afternoon, the defence minister, Mariusz Błaszczak, said that “the soldier who went missing yesterday had serious legal problems and had handed in his notice to leave the army”.
“He should never have been assigned for service at the border,” added Błaszczak. “I have demanded an explanation as to who was responsible for this.”
Żołnierz, który wczoraj zaginął miał poważne kłopoty z prawem i złożył wypowiedzenie z wojska. Nigdy nie powinen zostać skierowany do służby na granicę. Zażądałem wyjaśnień, kto za to odpowiada.
— Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) December 17, 2021
Further update:
The defence ministry later in the afternoon confirmed that the soldier who went missing yesterday did indeed cross the border into Belarus. He is now being investigated on suspicion of desertion and three of his commanders have been dismissed from their positions by the defence minister.
Po odebraniu meldunku od gen. dyw. K. Radomskiego dowódcy @16Dywizja, min. @mblaszczak podjął decyzję o odwołaniu ze stanowisk przełożonych żołnierza, który znalazł się na Białorusi. Odwołani zostali dowódca baterii, dowódca plutonu i dowódca 2 dywizjonu w Węgorzewie.
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) December 17, 2021
Main image credit: Irek Dorozanski / DWOT (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
