A night-time operation in the Białowieża Forest ends with a Sudanese migrant shot with a rubber bullet. What happened on 22 July, and why did the Polish Army use smoothbore weapons?
What we know about the incident
On 22 July at 8:37 p.m., a patrol from the Podlasie Task Group detained five migrants who had illegally crossed the border near Narewka. According to a statement from the 12th Mechanized Division, soldiers used direct coercive measures, including a smoothbore weapon, because the group did not respond to orders and behaved aggressively.
As a result of the operation, a Sudanese citizen suffered a gunshot wound to the thigh caused by a rubber bullet. The Border Guard took him to the emergency department (SOR) in Hajnówka; his life is not in danger.
Context of growing tensions
Hybrid migration pressure
Since 2021, Alexander Lukashenko’s regime has been using migrants to destabilise the Polish border, which Polish authorities call “hybrid warfare”. In the first half of July 2025 alone, the Border Guard recorded more than 1,100 attempts to illegally cross the border line, often with the support of Belarusian services.
Growing aggression against services
According to Ministry of National Defence (MON) data, the number of attacks on officers has been rising since June 2024. Migrants use stones, modified sticks and knives; in May 2024, a Polish soldier was fatally stabbed at the barrier near Białowieża.
Why soldiers turned to smoothbore weapons
It has a shorter range and less energy than live ammunition
It is used to disperse aggressive crowds without causing fatal injuries
It is used after verbal warnings, in accordance with the act on direct coercive measures
In the Narewka case, soldiers assessed that the threat to their safety exceeded the threshold at which rubber bullets may be used.
The shooting of a Sudanese migrant with a rubber bullet is another sign that the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border is taking on a more dangerous character. Increasingly frequent acts of aggression are forcing soldiers and the Border Guard to resort to direct coercive measures.
In the face of the ongoing migration crisis and the growing number of aggressive incidents on the Polish-Belarusian border, let us support all soldiers of the Polish Army and Border Guard officers who selflessly guard the security of Poland.
Major Błażej Łukaszewski
Podlasie Task Group
Official statement from the 12th Szczecin Mechanized Division
Official statement from 12 SDZ | facebook.com/12SDZ
