A squad of soldiers is facing jail after 240 anti-tank mines wound up heading for an IKEA warehouse during a botched transport operation.
The mines had been sent by train from a military unit in Hajnowka in Poland to a regional logistics base in Mosty, near the German border.
But the deadly cargo went missing in transit and was only discovered half a month later by chance in a rail siding at an IKEA warehouse, say military prosecutors.
Seven soldiers, from the rank of corporal to major, are to face trial for the astonishing slip up later this year, local media reported on 4th June.
Artur Kepczynski (rank of brigadier general; 13/05/2022). The Ministry of National Defense announced that Maj. Gen. Artur Kepczynski had been dismissed from his position as head of the Bydgoszcz-based Armed Forces Support Inspectorate, which manages the logistics of the armed forces after the lost mines. Note: Licensed photo. (Newsflash/NX)
Prosecutors say the mines, part of a larger consignment, went missing when military quartermasters miscounted the load.
The left-behind crates rattled around the railways unguarded for weeks before arriving at the IKEA sidings in July last year (2024).
The Soviet-era anti-tank mines carry a seven-kilo payload of high explosive TNT, designed to shred armoured vehicles and their occupants.
All defendants are due to appear at the Poznan Military District Court on charges ranging from negligent weapons handling to falsifying records.
Prosecutors say military personnel in Hajnowka had loaded too many mines into the train and no-one noticed until it was too late.
Illustrative image shows IKEA in Poland, undated. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (Newsfalsh/NX)
A reserve officer, said to be the depot commander in Hajnowka, is also facing charges of failing to report missing ordnance.
It is understood he tried to recover the mines himself, hoping to avoid a public scandal.
The accused face prison sentences ranging from three months to five years in a military prison if convicted.
The investigation is ongoing.
(Simona Kitanovska / newsX)