In this Sep, 1, 2021 file photo, Polish border guard officers stand guard next to a group of migrants stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland near the village of Usnarz Gorny, Poland. (Representational image only.)   | Photo Credit: Reuters

Poland reinforces security on Belarus border

A spokeswoman for Poland’s Border Guards, Ewelina Szczepanska, said the presence of guards, police and the military has been reinforced at the border.

by · The Hindu

Poland is stepping up security at its border with Belarus, on the European Union’s eastern border, following reports that a large group of migrants in Belarus is heading for a crossing point, officials said on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Poland’s Border Guards, Ewelina Szczepanska, said the presence of guards, police and the military has been reinforced at the border.

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She said it could be seen in videos posted online that migrants are headed for the crossing in Kuznica, in the northeast.

A spokesman for Poland’s security services, Stanislaw Zaryn, posted on Twitter a video showing hundreds of people walking down a road.

“Very worrying information from the border,” Mr. Zaryn added.

Since the summer, Poland has been under increasing pressure of migrants from the Middle East and Africa trying to cross into the EU.

Poland is blocking these attempts or sending those who cross back into Belarus.

Warsaw and the EU say it’s an organised action by the Belarusian government aimed at destabilising the bloc in retaliation for Western sanctions.

Poland’s Border Guard has reported incidents of hostile behaviour and threats by Belarusian forces directed across the border at Polish forces.