Polish general dismissed after anti-tank mines found near IKEA

A Polish general has been dismissed after soldiers lost track of 240 anti-tank mines in July, which were later found in a train wagon near a warehouse belonging to Swedish furniture retailer IKEA.

The Polish Ministry of Defense announced the dismissal of Major General Artur Kepczynski, head of the Support Inspectorate, on Thursday, via a post on X.

The official statement from the ministry did not elaborate on the reasons for his dismissal, but local media have linked it to last year’s incident, when soldiers failed to unload part of a train carrying over 1,000 tons of explosives.

The oversight led to 240 anti-tank mines being moved around the country before going missing. Major General Kepczynski, responsible for managing the logistics support system, reportedly concealed the disappearance of the mines from his superiors.

The mishap reportedly came to light when IKEA warehouse staff contacted the military, inquiring when they would collect their mines.

IKEA Industry Poland CEO Malgorzata Dobies-Turulska confirmed that on July 16 of the previous year, PKP Cargo had reported the presence of a military box in one of the train wagons that arrived at IKEA Industry Orla. She said a representative of the freight carrier had opened the wagon, and the box was retrieved by military police the same day.

The mines involved are believed to be MN-123, used by the Polish military. They are designed to be deployed from vehicles to create minefields of varying densities to neutralize enemy vehicles.

The District Prosecutor’s Office in Szczecin-Niebuszewo has been conducting an investigation into the matter since August 2024. Charges of improper supervision of military property have been brought against four soldiers. They face up to five years in prison.

Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has acknowledged that several months passed between the time he learned of the incident and the general’s resignation. In an interview with RMF FM on Friday, he stated that the general had “drawn the consequences he was supposed to draw,” but added, “more could have been done,” explaining the decision.

The Defense Minister noted that military police had acted very quickly. He emphasized that “civilian supervision in this matter played a key role.”