Polish Border Guard detains a Russian army defector

The man had Russian military documents, wore plain clothes and was unarmed, Polish private broadcaster RMF FM reported.

"He is a 41-year-old man who illegally crossed the border from Belarus to Poland. Further actions are being taken against him," the Border Guard said on social media platform X.

RMF FM also reported the defector is believed to have used a migration trail set up by the Belarusian regime of President Alexander Lukasheko. The route has been mainly used by migrants from the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

Podlasie Border Guard spokesperson Katarzyna Zdanowicz told TVN24 the man had been detained "in recent days". She added the defector was a Russian citizen and had fought on the front line in Ukraine.

"The man held valid military documents and had illegally crossed the border from Belarus to Poland on the territory of Podlaskie province," the spokesperson added.

Zdanowicz also said the detained man was being cautioned by the Border Guard in terms of further administrative procedures, including those regarding potential request for international protection in Poland.

Deputy Interior Affairs Minister Czesław Mroczek said the authorities would have to first establish why the soldier has entered the territory of Poland. "It's possible we're dealing with with a defector who is running from coercion from his own state, from the horrors of war, or we're dealing with a man who was supposed to carry out some tasks in the West," Mroczek added.