A recent report by Reuters reveals that hundreds of anti-tank mine shells were inadvertently unloaded at an IKEA storage site in Sweden. The incident occurred in July 2024, when a shipment of mines from Hajnówka, near the Polish eastern border, was being transported to a military depot. The mistake was only discovered recently.
According to the report, the error occurred when the train arrived at its destination in Mosty, northwest of Poland. The entire load was not offloaded, and as a result, 240 anti-tank mine shells were inadvertently transported further. It was not until nine days later that the mines were discovered in a wagon near an IKEA storage site.
IKEA’s Polish production facility is located near Bielsk Podlaski in the eastern part of the country, but it is unclear where the mines were specifically discovered.
“All elements were immediately sealed and placed under military supervision” stated the spokesperson for the Poznań State Prosecutor’s Office. The military police had removed the hazardous content the same day. IKEA confirmed that the cooperation had proceeded smoothly.
In connection with the incident, four soldiers have been charged with negligence in the line of duty, facing up to five years in prison. None of the accused have yet admitted guilt. Polish media also report that the recent dismissal of General Artur Kępczyński, the head of the Support Authority for the Armed Forces, is linked to the incident.
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz emphasized that, upon learning of the incident, all necessary security measures had been taken to prevent such errors in the future.