Tensions are rising on the border between Poland and Belarus, after Polish authorities again accused their neighbor of helping move migrants to the border, and warned that thousands of additional military personnel had been mobilized to respond to the clashes.
In the latest episode of a weeks-long migration crisis at the border, the head of the Polish Border Guard said groups of people were trying to cross the border on Monday night.
“The situation at the border is difficult. More and more groups of migrants are heading to the border. Attempts are being made to force the crossing of the border,” said Ewelina Szczepańska, adding that she was confident that Polish forces could handle the situation.
The Polish Defense Ministry said on Twitter on Monday that “a group of migrants is currently near Kuznica.” The message was accompanied by aerial images showing large crowds gathered on the Belarusian side of the border.
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The Ministry later added: “Currently, the migrants have set up a camp in the Kuznica region. They are constantly watched by the Belarusian services.”
Polish Border Guard Headquarters spokesman Michał Tokarczyk told GLM: “Belarusian services are moving large groups of migrants to the Polish border. We are waiting for them to move forward and we are prepared for any scenario.”
In a later statement, Tokarczyk specified that there are currently about 4,500 border guards and about 9,500 Polish Army soldiers stationed at the border, as “a group of several thousand migrants is heading towards the Polish border.”
The Belarusian State Border Commission, responsible for the country’s external borders, said migrants near the border want to enter Poland as refugees and pose no security threat.
In recent weeks, the number of people illegally crossing the Polish border from Belarus has increased. According to Tokarczyk, since August, more than 30,000 migrants have tried to enter the country.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has previously been accused of fabricating a migrant crisis at the border by the prime ministers of his neighbors Poland, Latvia and Lithuania, prompting Poland to pass a bill in October to the construction of a wall along its border with Belarus.
European officials have also accused Belarus of encouraging people to cross illegally into Poland, and its other European Union neighbors, as part of efforts to pressure the bloc over the broad sanctions it imposed on Minsk in June.
The sanctions by the EU, the United States and Great Britain were a coordinated response to the forced landing of a Ryanair flight, ordered by the Lukashenko government, and the arrest of an opposition journalist on board, as well as to the “continued repression “in the former Soviet state.
Border crisis
In another tweet on Monday, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that thousands of soldiers were “ready to defend the Polish border.”
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“More than 12,000 people are on guard at the border, we have raised the alert state, “wrote Blaszczak.
Meanwhile, the Polish Territorial Defense Forces also said in a tweet that they were raising the alert level to support the border guard, adding: “Soldiers! Check your equipment and your communications, warn your bosses and families.”
The Interior and Administration Ministry previously said on Twitter that migrants from the Belarusian side had been detained so far and that the situation in Kuznica is under control.
He posted a video showing the Polish police and other armed troops near a barbed wire fence, with the migrants on the Belarusian side. Meanwhile, an urgent government crisis meeting was called amid mounting tensions, according to the Interior Ministry.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook: “The border of the Republic of Poland is not just a line on a map. It is sacred: the blood of the Poles was shed for generations to protect it.”
Lithuania, which shares a border with Poland and Belarus, said it was redeploying troops as tensions continued to rise, according to the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service and LRT, the Lithuanian public broadcaster, reported.
“We are preparing for all possible scenarios,” said Lithuanian Border Guard chief Rustamas Liubajevas.
Belarusian opposition leader in exile, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, urged a strong response from the EU and the United Nations.
“The Belarusian regime exacerbates the border crisis: Migrants are pushed to the EU border by armed men,” he tweeted. “Migrant smuggling, violence and mistreatment must end.”
Belarus reaction
The government of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly denied fabricating a migrant crisis, blaming the West for the crossings and the treatment of migrants. GLM has contacted the Belarusian government for comment.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended Minsk’s handling of the migrant issue on Monday, saying that Belarus was taking all necessary measures to act legally.
The Belarusian State Border Commission also said in a statement on Facebook: “Foreigners near the Polish border declare their intention to enter the territory of a neighboring country and exercise their right to apply for refugee status in The EU. All these people, including women and children, do not pose a security threat and do not behave aggressively. ”
The Belarusian State Border Commission added that it did not rule out a provocation by Poland. “Taking into account the statements of Polish officials about the concentration of armed forces and equipment near the border, we do not exclude provocative actions by Poland aimed at justifying the use of physical force and special means against refugees.”
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In a later statement, the Commission added: “The situation on the Belarusian-Polish border remains extremely tense. More than 2,000 refugees, including a significant number of women and children, are facing Polish barriers along the border […] The refugees repeatedly tried to inform the Polish side that they had left their countries because their lives were in danger. ”
He then accused the Polish security forces of deploying tear gas on migrants and using “aviation to exert psychological pressure”, leading some of them to attack Polish barriers.
Charities say migrants face excruciating conditions trying to cross the border from Belarus, in freezing weather and with a lack of food and medical care.
Polish authorities said seven migrants have been found dead on the Polish side of the border, with more deaths reported in Belarus.
Humanitarian groups also accuse Poland’s ruling nationalists of violating international asylum law by pushing migrants back to Belarus instead of accepting their requests for protection. Poland says its actions are legal.