by EuroNews
It’s published
Polish soldiers were hospitalized Monday evening after a flash van ren bullet accidentally exploded during a conflict with more than 40 migrants attempting to cross from Belarus, military officials said.
The incident occurred around 8pm near the border village of Chelemcha, when migrants threw stones at Polish troops from the Podrasie Task Force.
The soldier was injured in his left arm when a flash-van ren bullet that he had deployed as a “forcement measure” against a “group of offensive migrants,” exploded, a Polish military operational order said.
The soldiers received first aid on site before being taken to the hospital in Bialistok. His condition was described as stable and conscious throughout, and injuries were classified as non-life threatening.
The Polish army has begun investigating the incident.
Poland has been facing an immigration crisis at its Belarusian border since 2021, accusing Warsaw of using thousands of migrants from Africa and the Middle East in the hybrid war, tempting them with false promises of EU access.
The hybrid war was initially launched in retaliation against EU sanctions against Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s regime, and tensions have risen since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, according to the Polish government.
Flash Bang Grenades are standard army equipment used as a forced tool by Polish forces patrol border areas, according to the military.