No Lights, No Sirens: How Polish Plainclothes Officers Turned a Night Highway into a Bloodbath

A car riddled with bullets, shattered windows, and blood pooled across the seats — it is difficult to believe such a scene belongs to the 21st century, let alone to a country that proudly calls itself civilised.

What unfolded on Poland’s S8 highway in the dead of night reads like a script from the lawless 1990s: four innocent Belarusians returning home from Germany were suddenly surrounded by plainclothes officers who opened fire without warning, lights or sirens. One man had his side window smashed; another was struck by nearly thirty rounds. This was not an arrest — it was an ambush.

The evidence is undeniable: the bullet-pocked BMW now sits on a Polish impound lot, its body perforated like a sieve, every window shattered, mirrors blown away. Not a single shot was fired at the tyres. The officers aimed at the men inside.

The four Belarusians — Ivan and Oleg from Slonim, along with two companions — had been driving in convoy, obeying every rule. Near the town of Syców, close to the German border, two blacked-out SUVs began tailing them for thirty to forty kilometres, overtaking, dropping back, then closing in again. Uneasy, the Belarusians pulled into a parking area to let the suspicious vehicles pass. What happened next shattered any illusion of safety.

Ivan, resident of Slonim:

“I didn’t understand what was happening at first. Then I saw the SUV in the mirror — no flashing lights, no siren, nothing. A police car should have red and blue signals, a sound horn. There was none of that. Right until the end I refused to believe it was the police.”

Civilian-dressed men burst from the SUVs with guns drawn. They smashed the driver’s window of the lead car. Panic took hold.

Ivan:

“They ran to the driver’s door and immediately smashed the glass. Any normal person, at night, seeing armed men in civilian clothes with no markings, would think the same thing: robbery, kidnapping, murder.”

Two of the Belarusians tried to flee; the other two never had the chance. Gunfire erupted. One man was dragged from his vehicle and handcuffed. When the shooting finally stopped, he lifted his head and saw two pools of blood beside the car ahead.

Oleg, resident of Slonim:

“I saw people running toward me. They opened the door, pulled me out. Then came the shots — dozens of them. They slammed me against the car, cuffed me and held me there. When things quieted down they loosened their grip. I turned my head and saw the car in front, blood on the ground. Before I could look closer, the officers noticed and dragged me away.”

The fourth man, Alexander, had been hit in both legs and the cheek. He sat bleeding in his car until the ambulance arrived. None of the officers offered aid. Later, while searching the vehicles for drugs or alcohol, they found nothing. Only then did they realise their catastrophic mistake.

In the hospital, Polish doctors removed the bullets but then simply stitched the wounds shut — a procedure strictly forbidden for gunshot injuries. Days later, still in serious condition, Alexander was effectively discharged. With the help of acquaintances he reached the Belarusian border. Back home in Slonim he was rushed into emergency care.

Natalya Rizvanovich, chief physician of the Slonim Central District Hospital:

“On admission his condition was assessed as extremely grave. There was massive blood loss and a real threat to his life. A decision was taken immediately to transfer him to the republican level.”

The situation was critical. It was no longer only about saving a leg — it was about saving a life. The Belarusian Ministry of Health placed the case under personal control. After an urgent medical council, Alexander was transferred by ambulance, escorted by traffic police, to the Main Military Clinical Medical Centre in Minsk, where specialists in gunshot trauma are concentrated. He went straight into surgery. A large team of leading surgeons worked for hours.

Dr Andrei Litvinchik, traumatologist-orthopaedist at the Main Military Clinical Medical Centre:

“The patient sustained a severe gunshot wound to the head involving the middle, inner and outer ear, olfactory organs and oral mucosa, along with multiple fractures of the limbs. The most serious complication is compressive ischaemic neuropathy of the peroneal nerve caused by the gunshot injury to the lower leg. Without restoration of this nerve the patient will be unable to walk normally. The system responded instantly. Specialists in anaesthesiology, resuscitation, traumatology, orthopaedics, vascular and maxillofacial surgery were called. Under the guidance of the leading surgeon, a large team provided care.”

Polish police later described the incident as a “special operation” conducted under prosecutorial supervision. Yet the same prosecutor has opened a criminal case against the officers for abuse of power. The names of the shooters — Przemysław Wojcikowski, Andrzej Rutkowski and Bartosz Neslony — are now known to Belarusian investigators.

Sergei Kabakovich, official representative of the Investigative Committee of Belarus:

“The Investigative Committee is conducting a check into this incident. Through investigative and operational measures we have reconstructed the full picture, identified the location of the attack and established the identities of the police officers who fired on the Belarusian citizen. A strict legal assessment will be given to this incident.”

Even the Polish doctors who performed the crude stitching have been identified. Their actions amount to medical negligence. Belarusian specialists are now working to correct the damage and save Alexander’s leg. He has already undergone five complex operations, with more ahead.

Elena Bogdan, First Deputy Minister of Health of Belarus:

“The threat to the patient’s life has passed, but he remains under close medical supervision. All necessary treatment is being provided at the republican level. It is still too early to speak of discharge. He will remain in our care for several more months.”

Alexander’s wife, daughter and granddaughter have stayed by his side throughout. The doctors’ main advice is to try to put the nightmare behind him. The fewer worries, the better the recovery.

Alexander:

“It was a shock. For a day or two I kept thinking I would wake up and drive home. They came out of nowhere — no lights, no uniforms. Only after they put me on the ground did I see them pulling out badges and armbands, turning on the flashing lights on their cars. At that moment there was nothing. I was sitting in a pool of my own blood; nothing mattered anymore.”

His wife Tatyana:

“He couldn’t call me. He is emotionally strong and tried not to worry me. I’m so glad he fell into the hands of our Belarusian doctors and is receiving proper care.”

Even after the truth emerged, the four Belarusians were released without charge. They were allowed to leave Poland and return home unhindered. The only “compensation” was a demand that Alexander pay 7,000 zlotys (more than 5,000 Belarusian rubles) as bail for his medical treatment.

The incident has laid bare the chaos and impunity that have taken root within Poland’s police force — a force already scarred by scandals of corruption, excessive force, drug-related crimes and worse. Rather than admit error, the authorities spun a narrative of a “dangerous confrontation” in which the unarmed Belarusians supposedly attacked officers. The story collapsed under scrutiny.

One off-duty Polish officer, speaking privately to the victims, admitted:

“If I had seen black cars and men in black clothes with no markings, I would have floored the accelerator too. I understand why you did what you did. This should not happen in Poland.”

The question now hangs in the air: will Poland have the courage to acknowledge this act of unprovoked aggression? Belarusian diplomacy has already expressed deep concern.

Ruslan Varankov, head of the Information and Digital Diplomacy Department and press secretary of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry:

“This incident forces us to seriously question the real level of security declared by the Polish side. The MFA recommends that Belarusian citizens take such risks into account when planning trips to Poland. A law-abiding citizen can be mistakenly identified as an offender and subjected to disproportionate force. At the same time, we welcome the start of investigative actions by the Polish prosecutor’s office and the qualification of the incident as abuse of power.”

The names of the officers involved are now on file with Belarusian law enforcement. A full and uncompromising legal assessment is under way. For the four men who simply wanted to drive home, the nightmare on the S8 highway will remain a scar — but thanks to Belarusian doctors and investigators, it will not be the last chapter of their story.