In the midst of a diplomatic crisis between Minsk and the European Union (EU), Poland announced on Wednesday 10 November that it has made more than fifty arrests of migrants massed at the border with Belarus, where it is multiply, according to her, attempts to cross.
“In the last twenty-four hours, the police have detained more than fifty people near Bialowieza after they crossed the border illegally”, said a regional police spokesperson. According to him, two separate groups of migrants, some of whom fled after being arrested, are concerned.
Groups “simultaneously attacking the border”
“The situation is not calm”Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Wednesday on Polish radio. “Whereas two days ago we had a large group concentrated near Kuznica Bialostocka and there was (…) an attempt to forcibly cross the border, we are now dealing with smaller, albeit furnished, groups simultaneously attacking the Polish border in several places ”, he clarified.
The Polish defense minister also claimed Belarusian officials were using the threat to force migrants to force the border.
Separately, Mariusz Blaszczak tweeted on Wednesday two short videos a shot he said came from an armed man in uniform on the Belarusian side of the border. The videos show a group of migrants, including children, standing near the border on the Belarusian side.
Służby białoruskie zastraszają migrantów oddając strzały w ich obecności. https://t.co/GTvrW5xUYU
Sanctions against Minsk
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is due to meet on Wednesday in Warsaw on the “Crisis at the EU’s borders” with the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki. On Tuesday, Morawiecki accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of being the “Sponsor” of the wave of migrants trying to enter Poland from Belarus, assuring that this attack “Hybrid” risked destabilizing the European Union.
Europeans have for months accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow, of fueling the crisis by issuing visas to migrants in revenge for European sanctions taken against his country for its repression of the opposition since the 2020 presidential election.
For his part, the head of Belarusian diplomacy accused in return, Wednesday, the West of orchestrating the current migration crisis on the Polish border to impose new sanctions against Minsk. “In view of a fifth round of sanctions, which they are already talking about in the West, the pretext used this time is the migration crisis caused by the EU and its border members from Belarus”, judged Vladimir Makeï, during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, calling for a “Common reaction” with Moscow.
Mr. Makeï said he hoped for a “Reinforced work” with Russia, its main ally, in particular “A common reaction” face “Unfriendly acts” targeting Belarus. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has shown his support by saying Minsk and Moscow have stepped up “Effectively their collaboration to counter a campaign against Belarus launched by Washington and its European allies within international organizations”.
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