Major General Artur Kepczynski, responsible for military logistics, allegedly withheld information about missing anti-tank mines from his superiors.
Following the discovery of 240 missing anti-tank mines in a train car near an IKEA warehouse, the Polish Ministry of Defense dismissed Major General Artur Kepczynski, head of the Support Inspectorate. The ministry’s X post announcing the dismissal on Thursday offered no explanation, but Polish media linked it to an incident last July.
This incident involved soldiers failing to unload a portion of a train carrying over 1,000 tons of explosives. This oversight resulted in the 240 anti-tank mines being transported across the country before disappearing. Gen. Kepczynski, who oversaw military logistics, reportedly concealed the mines’ disappearance from his command.
The situation came to light when IKEA warehouse personnel contacted the military to inquire about the mines’ collection. Malgorzata Dobies-Turulska, CEO of IKEA Industry Poland, confirmed that PKP Cargo reported a military crate on a train arriving at the IKEA Industry Orla warehouse last July. A freight carrier representative opened the car, and military police retrieved the crate that same day.
The mines are believed to be MN-123 anti-tank mines used by the Polish military for creating minefields.
The Szczecin-Niebuszewo District Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation in August 2024. Four soldiers face charges of improper supervision of military property, carrying a potential five-year prison sentence.
Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz admitted a delay between learning of the incident and the general’s dismissal. In a Friday interview with RMF FM, he stated the general had “drawn the consequences he was supposed to draw,” but added that “more could have been done,” justifying the decision. He praised the swift response of the military police and highlighted the crucial role of “civilian oversight” in this matter.