Polish police chief in hospital after gift he got from Ukraine official explodes
Jaroslaw Szymczyk suffers minor injuries as present he received during a visit with heads of Ukraine’s police and state emergency services blows up; Warsaw demands explanation
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s police chief Jaroslaw Szymczyk has been hospitalized with minor injuries after a gift he received from a senior Ukrainian official exploded, the interior ministry said Thursday.
“Yesterday at 7:50 am there was an explosion in a room next to the office of the police chief,” a statement said.
“One of the gifts the police chief received during his working visit to Ukraine on December 11 and 12 exploded,” it added.
Szymczyk had met with the heads of Ukraine’s police and state emergency services during the visit and the “the present was a gift from one of the heads of Ukraine’s services,” the ministry said.
It did not specify what object the Polish commander had received.
It described the police chief’s injuries as “minor” and said he remains in the hospital under observation.
A civilian employee of the national police headquarters also suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.
“The Polish side has asked the Ukrainian side to provide an explanation,” the ministry added.
Poland is an ally of Ukraine and has offered the neighboring country various kinds of support, including military and humanitarian aid, since Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24. Poland also has accepted a large number of Ukrainian refugees.
The Times of Israel Community.