Belarus
Present for Lukashenko: Polish deserter becomes trophy for Belarusian propaganda
Polish soldiers on the border with Belarus. A deserter is now a trophy for Alexander Lukashenko.
© Polish Territorial Defense Forces / Handout / Picture Alliance
A deserter from the Polish army becomes a welcome gift for Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus. But did he change sides voluntarily?
When Emil Tschetschko stepped in front of the cameras last week, the Belarusian propagandists and the regime around dictator Alexander Lukashenko rejoiced with pure glee. Not long ago the young man served on the Belarusian-Polish border – on the Polish side. Now he was sitting in the studio of the Belarusian state broadcaster ONT and talking about the supposed cruel crimes of the Polish military that had been committed in the wake of the artificially created migration crisis between Belarus and the EU.
The Belarusian propagandists proudly presented the audience with “the testimony of the only noble Poland” who claims to have seen with his own eyes how Polish soldiers murdered two activists at the border. “It is impossible to remain silent about what is happening on the territory of Poland”, claims the Polish deserter in the interview, justifying his change of sides.
Belarus: This is how Emil Chechko is presented on the Belarusian state television
© Screenshot Youtube
Not once does he look up at the camera. His gaze flits back and forth between his feet and the moderator. The Polish flag is emblazoned on the sleeve of his jacket. How he got the garment remains a mystery. He starts his story by claiming that he had to cross the border naked and got rid of his uniform.
But the organizers probably decided that the show could not do without a Polish flag. For Belarusian propaganda, a Polish deserter is the biggest coup in a long time.
“He should never have been sent to the border service”
According to information from Warsaw, Chechko crossed the border on December 16 and applied for political asylum in Belarus. Polish Deputy Defense Minister Wojciech Skurkevich stressed that the soldier had violated the Polish Army Charter and the provisions of the Criminal Code in this way. “We are dealing with a violation of the basic principles of the functioning of the Polish army,” he said. “Here the operational area and the post have been left, weapons with ammunition have been left unattended. All of this is unacceptable and inadmissible. This will have far-reaching consequences.”
The Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has since dismissed the superiors to whom Chechko was subordinate from military service. Blaszczak announced that the deserter had problems with the law and wanted to quit the army. “He should never have been sent to the border service,” he tweeted.
Emil Chechko’s criminal record
According to the Polish media, Chechko was arrested on December 11th for drunk driving. Almost 1.5 per mille of alcohol was detected in his blood. A drug test also showed that the soldier had consumed marijuana.
In addition, Chechko has already been convicted of physical and emotional coercion against family members. According to the Polish regional newspaper “Gazeta Olsztyńka” he took action with his mother. He is also suspected of having caused an accident.
Recruited as a spy by Belarus?
The question now arises as to whether the criminal law problems in Chechko’s homeland prompted him to change sides or whether he had already worked as a spy for a longer period of time. Identify Polish special services. There is also a version in the room that the soldier was forced to change sides by Belarus. “From the very beginning of the operation on the Polish-Belarusian border, it was the top priority for the enemy to find out about morale in the Polish army. They want to know who has family problems, who is addicted or who has money problems. They can then use this information to recruit Polish soldiers, ”an anonymous source from the investigative community told the Polish research network “Onet”.
Several independent sources associated with the army and military intelligence told Onet that Chechko is suspected of having acted as a Belarusian spy or at least an informant for a Belarusian agent.
“If a soldier in Polish uniform crossed the border into Belarus he would be shot or arrested and sent to prison for several days to interrogate,” a source said. Chechko crossed the border late in the evening and gave an interview to Belarusian journalists early in the morning. “I have no doubt that this is a prepared and pre-arranged operation,” said the anonymous informant.