Weapons bound for Ukraine found in abandoned Polish warehouse
Weapons bound for Ukraine found in abandoned Polish warehouse (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
Containers with air defense systems meant for the Ukrainian army were discovered in an abandoned warehouse near the Polish-Ukrainian border. The case is now under investigation by the prosecutor's office, according to reports from Poland's Ministry of Defense and Portal Obronny.
In the Subcarpathian region near the Ukrainian border, officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation, acting on behalf of the district prosecutor's office in Przemyśl, discovered air defense systems.
The investigation is being led by this prosecutor's office, based on information provided by the Polish Internal Security Agency.
Instead of reaching Ukraine, the weapons ended up in storage
Spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Jacek Dobrzyński, stated that several containers with missile launchers — originally meant to be sent to Ukraine — were discovered by authorities.
"The equipment belongs to a company licensed to trade arms. It was being stored without proper oversight," Dobrzyński said.
He added that the case is now being handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The ongoing investigation concerns the mishandling of weapons and ammunition by a private company that, according to unofficial reports, had been tasked with transporting the air defense systems to Ukraine.
For reasons still unknown, the delivery was never completed.
The equipment was stored in a warehouse near the border. While the site had security for a time, the weapons were eventually left almost completely unsupervised.
The equipment does not belong to the Polish army
A statement posted by Poland's Ministry of National Defense clarified that the weapons in question do not belong to the Polish military or any state services.
"We confirm that the containers with ammunition and weapons found in the town of Laszki in the Subcarpathian region are not the property of the Polish Armed Forces. Relevant services are securing the site and the equipment," the statement read.
It is currently understood that the weapons were meant to be delivered commercially by a private company to the Ukrainian army.
A criminal investigation has been launched under Article 263, paragraph 3 of the Polish Penal Code.
The containers are now being transported to a designated location as part of the investigation. Authorities are working to identify the source of the weapons and their intended recipient.
What kind of weapons may have been in the containers
During a press conference, Jacek Dobrzyński, spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, compared the discovered weapons to "what former police commander Szymczyk brought back from Ukraine and accidentally fired inside police headquarters."
That reference was to an RGW-90 rocket launcher. Unofficially, similar weapons are also referred to as MANPADS (man-portable air-defense systems).
The RGW-90 is a modern, single-use, 90mm German anti-tank weapon designed for use against armored vehicles, fortifications, and urban targets.
MANPADS, on the other hand, are portable air-defense systems designed to engage low-flying targets such as drones, attack aircraft, and helicopters.
Support for Ukraine
Today, June 4, the 28th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group took place at NATO headquarters.
According to available information, this latest Ramstein-format meeting resulted in the largest amount of military support pledged to Ukraine by its allies since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
More details on the commitments made by Ukraine's partners can be found in the full report by RBC-Ukraine.
