'Increasing brutality' reported as Poland-Belarus border crisis escalates

The migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border is escalating with "increasing brutality," the Polish Border Guard and Polish media reported on April 5.

Tensions between Poland, a NATO country, and Russian ally Belarus have surged following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Warsaw has also for several years accused Belarus of deliberately pushing migrants into Poland in order to pressure the EU over sanctions, a charge Belarus has denied.

Hundreds of illegal migrants, mainly from Sudan and Afghanistan, attempted to enter Poland illegally overnight on April 5, Polsat News reported, citing Polish Defense Minister Vladyslav Kosinyak-Kamysh.

"Tonight there were a lot of attempts to cross the border, probably about 300, all thwarted," Kosinyak-Kamysh said in a statement to Polsat News.

"It is aimed at attacking Poland, not at trying to find shelter. To cross the border illegally is breaking the law," he added.

While describing the situation on the border, Kosinyak-Kamysh said "the brutality is increasing," as those crossing the border were throwing stones and branches, and using angle grinders to cut the barrier.

Trump didn’t impose tariffs on Russia but they might be wrecking its economy regardless

U.S. President Donald Trump has inadvertently hit Russia’s economy after his “Liberation Day” tariffs caused oil prices to drop drastically on April 7, with potentially massive ramifications for the Kremlin’s ability to fund its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russia has so far failed to agree to a full

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Belarus, led by dictator Alexander Lukashenko, has also provided extensive support to Moscow's war in Ukraine and the Belarusian army regularly conducts military drills along its border with Poland and other EU countries.

Elsewhere in central Europe, the Latvian army has started digging an anti-tank ditch as part of the joint Baltic defense line along the country’s borders with Russia and Belarus, the Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported on May 2, 2024.

Meanwhile, on the Polish-German border, Polish border guards detained two Ukrainians helping migrants from Sudan and Afghanistan to cross the Poland-German border, the Polish Border Guard reported on April 4.

Since the beginning of the migration crisis in 2021, at least 740 Ukrainians assisting migrants to leave Poland have been detained.

‘Before I got there, I had never held a weapon’ — Ukraine shows interrogation of Chinese POWs

One of the captives served in the 2nd Battalion of Russia’s 157th Motorized Rifle Brigade and was captured near Tarasivka, while the other fought in the 1st Battalion of the 81st Motorized Rifle Brigade and was captured near Bilohorivka, according to the SBU

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek