Crisis on Poland-Belarus Border: Hundreds of Refugees Escorted by Belarusian Security Forces, Poland Calls Up Territorial Defence Troops

NATO and the EU condemned Belarus's actions in moving refugees as a hybrid attack.

On the morning of 8 November, several Belarusian media outlets opposed to the regime published videos showing Belarusian border guards escorting hundreds of refugees, mostly from Iraq, toward the Polish border.

Some time later, the Polish Ministry of Defence confirmed a hybrid attack, publishing footage of the border taken from a helicopter.

As a result, Poland began mobilising Territorial Defence Forces, while NATO and the EU condemned Minsk's actions and called for the attack to stop. We are bringing you the latest details.

Storming the Polish border

As reported by NEXTA Live, Belarusian soldiers with dogs herded migrants off the road into the forest, but they did not reach the border crossing.

Most of the migrants in the column are Kurds who recently arrived in Belarus from Iraq. Many of them are women and children.

Later, a large group of migrants stopped opposite the fence and a chain of Polish security forces.

The State Border Committee of Belarus does not yet know for certain whether the migrants have been able to leave the country's territory, but it noted that the border crossing points on the Belarusian-Polish border are operating in full.

Footage taken from the helicopter by the Polish Ministry of Defence shows about a thousand migrants in the forest on Belarusian territory.

“A group of migrants is currently in the vicinity of Kuznica,” the ministry said, referring to the Kuznica-Bruzgi crossing point.

Poland said the Belarusian side had prepared the largest attempt to storm the border to date using illegal migrants.

The migrants are standing right in front of a metal fence with barbed wire that separates the territories of the two states. They have not yet tried to enter Polish territory.

Several dozen border guards are visible on the Polish side.

Reaction

The leadership of Poland's Territorial Defence Forces published a notice for members of the territorial defence units, urging them to be ready to travel soon to assist border guards due to the provocation on the border with Belarus.

Unit members are asked to check their equipment and inform employers and relatives.

People living in voivodeships bordering Belarus are asked to be ready to report for assembly within 6-12 hours, and those from voivodeships in the centre of the country within 24 hours.

NATO, meanwhile, expressed concern over the escalation on the border and called on Minsk to respect international law.

The Alliance believes that “the use of migrants as a hybrid tactic by Lukashenko's regime is unacceptable.”

The statement also noted that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is in close contact with the governments of allied countries on this matter.

A European Commission representative said the European Union is closely monitoring the migration crisis on the border and is ready for further sanctions in response to new threats.

“According to our information, several hundred people have gathered on Belarusian territory near the border with Poland. Recently, Polish authorities have reported three thousand attempts to cross the border weekly. This is a continuing desperate attempt by Lukashenko's regime to use people as a tool to destabilise the European Union,” he said.

The European Commission noted that it is closely monitoring the situation and is ready to help Poland and Lithuania with the migrant situation coming from Belarus.

The spokesperson also said the EU is continuing to prepare a new package of sanctions against Lukashenko's regime, but did not say when it might be announced.

“Work is ongoing to modify the sanctions regime against Belarus to take into account new threats, including the use of migrants for its own purposes. The EU is ready for further action in response to the unacceptable actions of Lukashenko's regime,” the EU added.

In Brussels, it was noted that talks are under way with countries from which migrants travel to Belarus, to explain the situation to them. The spokesperson named Turkey among such countries.