• Police officer accidently denoted a grenade received as a gift.
• He received minor injuries.
• The gift was from Ukraine.

The top police official in Poland has admitted to the local media that he mistakenly detonated a grenade launcher that Ukraine had sent him as a gift.

After opening the gift at his Warsaw headquarters on Wednesday, Jaroslaw Szymczyk received minor wounds.

Also harmed was a staff worker who was a civilian.

The odd episode has now been discussed in-depth by General Szymczyk with a Polish broadcaster for the first time.

He disclosed to RMF FM radio that he obtained the gift on a recent trip to Ukraine.

There was an explosion as I was transporting the used grenade launchers that the Ukrainians had given me, General Szymczyk told the channel. The intensity of the explosion’s impact caused damage to the ceiling and through the floor.

A brief statement from Poland’s interior ministry, which claimed that one of the gifts given to the police chief by a top Ukrainian official on a business visit to Ukraine on December 11–12 had burst, was the only official information made available regarding Wednesday’s incident so far. The gift’s nature was not disclosed by the ministry.

On the incident, Kyiv has not yet released a statement to the public.

The two armour-penetrating grenade launchers were reportedly intended to be a “unique war gift” from the Ukrainians, according to anonymous sources cited in the RMF FM article.

According to the article, the Ukrainians claimed the launchers could be sent back to Poland because they had already been used and did not carry explosives. It is believed that one of them was converted into a loudspeaker for playing music.

Following news of the event on Wednesday, opposition MPs have questioned General Szymczyk’s qualifications to serve as the force’s top officer.

The incident is “indefensible,” according to Tomasz Siemoniak, a former defence minister and current vice head of Civic Platform, the biggest opposition party.

“Those in charge of this scenario and the life-threatening circumstances must be held accountable. Additionally, the commander is no longer able to command the police.”

On social media, satirical movies and graphics with the theme of explosive accidents have also surfaced.

In reference to the football competition taking place in Qatar, Radoslaw Sikorski, a former foreign minister of Poland and current MEP, tweeted: “It is true we will not win the World Cup but thanks to the commander @PolishPolice we are favourite for the Darwin prize.”

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