Poland invades Czech Republic… by accident: Military admits soldiers occupied small part of neighbouring country after ‘misunderstanding’ over coronavirus restrictions
- Polish soldiers implementing Covid-19 restrictions crossed over Czech border
- The incident led the Czech embassy in Warsaw to notify its Polish counterpart
- The Polish Defence Ministry has described the incident as a ‘misunderstanding’
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Poland has admitted to briefly invading the Czech Republic by accident after Polish soldiers crossed over the border at Moravia.
While implementing coronavirus border restrictions, the soldiers mistakenly took up positions by a chapel on the Czech side of the border and reportedly remained there for several days.
The Polish Defence Ministry has described the incident last month, which triggered an intervention from the Czech Republic, as a ‘misunderstanding’.
Poland has admitted to briefly invading the Czech Republic by accident after Polish soldiers crossed over the border at Moravia. Above, a Polish solder at the Czech border
The troops had been guarding parts of the closed Polish-Czech border during the Covid-19 pandemic and had even started turning away Czech citizens who were attempting to visit a church in their own country in error.
The incident led the Czech embassy in Warsaw to notify its Polish counterpart.
The troops accidentally crossed over the border in north-eastern Moravia, part of which extends into the Czech Republic, near a chapel in Pielgrzymow, a small border village in southern Poland.
The chapel is located 30 metres inside Czech territory and the border is formed by a small stream.
According to regional newspaper Denik, a construction engineer overseeing repairs at the chapel had wanted to take photographs of the plaster but was turned away by Polish soldiers wielding machine guns.
The soldiers had initially taken up positions on the Polish bank of the stream, but for unknown reasons made a brief incursion into Czech territory, Denik reported.
The troops accidentally crossed over the border in north-eastern Moravia, part of which extends into the Czech Republic, near a chapel in Pielgrzymow, a small border village in southern Poland
A Czech Foreign Ministry spokesperson told CNN: ‘Our Polish counterparts unofficially assured us that this incident was merely a misunderstanding caused by the Polish military with no hostile intention, however, we are still expecting a formal statement.’
‘The Polish soldiers are no longer present and our citizens can again visit the site freely.’
‘The placement of the border post was a result of misunderstanding, not a deliberate act. It was corrected immediately and the case was resolved – also by the Czech side,’ the Polish Ministry of Defence told CNN.
Borders between European Union countries are often not clearly marked as the bloc enjoys freedom of movement.
However this has been hampered during the coronavirus pandemic as countries have been forced to close their borders and ban entry to foreigners.