Polish police chief comments on incident with grenade launcher in his office
Jaroslav Szymczyk (Photo:Polska Policja/Twitter)
The head of the Polish police, Jaroslav Szymczyk, has given some details about an incident with a grenade launcher that he received as a gift during a working visit to Ukraine, Poland newspaper RMF24 reported on Dec. 17.
One of the members of the Polish delegation that visited Kyiv told reporters that Szymczyk received two anti-tank grenade launchers (probably RGW-90), which, according to the Ukrainian side, were used.
The first such gift was from Ihor Klymenko, head of the National Police of Ukraine. It was in the form of a long pipe closed on both sides with styrofoam; the weapon had been converted into a speaker. According to the publication’s source, Klymenko even turned on the music to demonstrate how it works. The Ukrainians assured that there were no explosive materials inside.
Later, Polish police officers met with the head of the DSNS (State Emergency Service of Ukraine), General Serhiy Kruk. After the meeting, his deputy, Dmytro Bondar, gave them a tour of the room, where the items neutralized by the agency, including shells and mines, were kept.
At the end, Szymczyk also received a gift from Bondar — an identical grenade launcher. It was not converted into a speaker, but the Poles were assured that the weapon was used and safe and could be transported without documents, and the value of the grenade launcher was the same as scrap.
The outlet's source said, Polish officials came back from a working visit by car. Szymczyk left the received "souvenirs" in the back part of his office. Poland’s police chief said he wanted to transfer the gifts the next day after returning from Ukraine. As soon as he placed one of the grenade launchers vertically on the floor, he heard a strong explosion.
Szymczyk said the force of explosion broke through the floor and damaged the ceiling. In total, rooms on three floors — from the basement to the first floor — were affected. Holes of the size of a plate appeared through the building.
Military experts said such a grenade launcher could not have fired on its own (unless it was damaged). They also assumed the police chief could have pressed on some part of the launcher.
Kyiv has yet to comment on the event. The Polish side claimed the incident is being clarified between the countries.
On Dec. 15, an explosion inside Polish Police HQ in Warsaw was reported. It was reported the incident was caused by one of the gifts received by the Polish police during a working visit to Ukraine on Dec. 11-12. Szymczyk was slightly injured and taken to hospital for checks. In total, three people were reportedly injured.
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