Tensions high as Poland fears migrants breaking through from Belarus

Warsaw, November 9 (BNA) The situation on the border between Poland and Belarus worsened on Monday, as the Belarusian authorities said that hundreds of migrants had reached the border, and Poland reported that some had already tried to break through.

The German news agency (DPA) reported that migrants are stuck amid a violent diplomatic row between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and the European Union, which does not recognize the autocratic ruler as a legitimate leader.

The Warsaw Defense Ministry wrote on Twitter that one of the attempts to breach the border fence took place near the border town of Koznica.

In a video posted online, a man carrying a spade and another group holding a tree trunk can be seen trying to break through the barbed wire fence. A Polish policeman in uniform sprays men with tear gas.

Earlier, border guards reported thwarting another attempt by migrants to breach the border.

Pictures and video published by the official Belta news agency, on Monday, showed hundreds of people gathered near a barbed wire fence, and Polish security guards lined up on the other side of the border. A helicopter flew overhead. Some migrants set fires or set up tents.

They were said to come from different countries. Belta quoted Mohajer as saying that they were Kurds and that an estimated 1,500 people were in the area not far from the Borouzi border crossing.

For its part, Poland announced earlier that it would strengthen protection at the external borders of the European Union.

“This huge group of migrants is under the control of armed Belarusian units that decide where they can go and what they can not go,” Polish intelligence coordinator Stanislaw Zarin wrote on Twitter.

Lukashenko is facing international criticism for allowing migrants to fly into Belarus from crisis areas and then take them to the borders of the European Union.

In response to the sanctions imposed on his country, he declared that he would no longer stop people on their way to a better life in the West.

There have already been many deaths among migrants in the border area.

“You must stop putting people’s lives at risk,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told Minsk on Monday.

The bloc is currently preparing to impose new sanctions, possibly on airlines that bring migrants to Belarus to be exploited. The EU executive has accused Minsk of relaxing visa requirements with certain countries to encourage those wishing to flee.

Von der Leyen said Commission Vice President Margarets Schinas will travel to the countries of common origin in the coming days for talks on how to “prevent their own citizens from falling into the trap set by the Belarusian authorities.”

Germany is a major destination for immigrants. Federal police said 8,833 people have entered the country illegally so far this year via Belarus.

However, the tempo has increased dramatically: in the first week of November alone, the number was 993, while there were only 26 in the first half of the whole year.

German charities Seebruecke Deutschland and LeaveNoOne Behind send a bus to the border area with supplies for migrants. They also intend to return some immigrants to Germany – if they obtain official permission.

Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller told the Philippine News Agency that Monday could represent the worst escalation on the border yet. He said that more border guards will be sent to the relevant sections of the border.

Lithuania is also increasing protection measures.

“We are preparing for all possible scenarios,” border guard commander Rastamas Lyubaivas said.

Since last year’s disputed presidential election, the European Union no longer recognizes Lukashenko as the head of state of Belarus.

The “last dictator of Europe,” as critics call him, has the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Monday, the Kremlin welcomed the authorities’ actions regarding migrants.

MI