Poland’s defense minister has said increased migratory pressure at the country’s border with Belarus is “serious” but under control.
The border area has been a migratory hot spot since 2021, which Polish authorities blame on a “hybrid war” tactic by Minsk.
Warsaw has accused the Lukashenko regime of attempting to destabilize Poland and the EU by luring thousands of migrants to the border on false promises of easy access.
Poland imposed an “exclusion zone” at its border with Belarus in June, which drastically cut the number of illegal entry attempts. But after a lull in July and August, the numbers have once again spiked, according to Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The minister, who was at the border on Thursday for a briefing of security personnel, said that "following the calm months of July and August, September has seen a rise in illegal border crossings."
Warsaw has accused the Lukashenko regime of attempting to destabilize Poland and the EU by luring thousands of migrants to the border on false promises of easy access.
Poland imposed an “exclusion zone” at its border with Belarus in June, which drastically cut the number of illegal entry attempts. But after a lull in July and August, the numbers have once again spiked, according to Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The minister, who was at the border on Thursday for a briefing of security personnel, said that "following the calm months of July and August, September has seen a rise in illegal border crossings."
Despite the deployment of 17,000 troops at the start of August as part of enhanced border security measures, he said that “the situation is serious and this pressure at the border has been increasing in recent days and weeks.”
He added that September had already seen over 2,500 attempted crossings, with 26,000 recorded since the start of the year, more than in the whole of 2023.
Border authorities estimate a daily average of 120 attempts at illegal entry from Belarus and say attacks on Polish officers are a regular occurrence. In June, a Polish soldier died after being stabbed by a migrant at the frontier.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the aggressiveness of migrants at the border had increased along with the heightened pressure.
He also said recent troop deployments to the south and southwest of Poland to help with flood relief and the bolstering of anti-flood defenses had not impacted the border situation.
He added that September had already seen over 2,500 attempted crossings, with 26,000 recorded since the start of the year, more than in the whole of 2023.
Border authorities estimate a daily average of 120 attempts at illegal entry from Belarus and say attacks on Polish officers are a regular occurrence. In June, a Polish soldier died after being stabbed by a migrant at the frontier.
Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the aggressiveness of migrants at the border had increased along with the heightened pressure.
He also said recent troop deployments to the south and southwest of Poland to help with flood relief and the bolstering of anti-flood defenses had not impacted the border situation.
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