The Polish border guard said it recorded nearly 600 crossing attempts by migrants on Tuesday as well as “three large” attempts overnight on Wednesday, with more than 100 migrants in each group trying to break the fence.
A border guard press official told reporters on Wednesday that nine people were detained and 48 were immediately deported back to Belarus. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blazak told Polish radio that there was still a large group of people on the Belarusian side of the Kuznica border crossing, which the authorities closed on Tuesday. A Polish border guard representative previously told CNN that some migrants had been pushed over obstacles by Belarusian services.
In several videos from Polish officials this week, hundreds of migrants were seen heading towards the border, some of whom were shown in a clip trying to break down barriers using shovels, wire cutters and brute force.
Blazak said that even a camp of migrants in Kuznica was divided into small groups without giving numbers.
Journalists and aid workers have been barred from traveling in the region by an exclusion zone imposed after Poland recently declared a state of emergency. Local residents are allowed to enter the area only after showing the identity document.
Several people inside the zone told CNN that the increased presence of military police and border guards is noticeable and they are not seeing more migrants than usual. Polish rights activists have said the additional military deployment has sealed the border near Kuznica as they have not received any calls in the past three days from migrants seeking help.
In an effort to stop the migrants, the Polish government is sending text messages to foreign cell phone numbers in the border area that read: “The Polish border is sealed. BLR [Belarus] The officers lied to you. Go back to Minsk!” It ends by warning migrants against taking pills from Belarusian soldiers—referring to Polish officials’ claim that a migrant was given a tablet before falling ill and dying.
Polish border guard press officer Katarzyna Zdanowie said the situation in the Kuznica area was calm on Wednesday and migrants had received hot food and drink from Belarusian soldiers overnight.
Zdanovicz cited border guard estimates putting the number of migrants camping at the border at around 4,000. He also did not rule out the possibility that more people are moving towards the border area than from other parts of Belarus.
The Belarusian State Border Committee, which is responsible for the country’s external borders, said on Tuesday that there were about 2,000 migrants at the scene.
Several Polish officials have accused Belarus of helping migrants in their efforts to cross the border. Deputy Interior Minister Bartosz Grodeki told Polish media on Wednesday that migrants are “continuously taken to the border by Belarusian services.”
Grodeki also alleged that “in addition to Belarusian services, there are probably representatives of Russian services” among the crowds of migrants trying to cross the border.
diplomatic blame game
In an escalating war of words, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed that there was a puppet behind the scenes on the Moscow border and was acting under the direction of the Minsk Kremlin.
Speaking in the Polish parliament on Tuesday, Morawiecki alleged that “the security of our eastern border has been brutally violated today by a brutal dictator who seeks revenge on Poland and Europe for protesting human rights violations in Belarus”. ” But we know that his revenge is under Moscow’s control.”
“Russia’s neo-imperialist policy is a fact. We are looking at the next steps of Lukashenko’s employer – who is President Putin. This is his scenario of rebuilding the Russian Empire. It should be.”
Belarus, which has denied all allegations, said on Wednesday that it was seeking a “joint response” from EU states along with Russia for “uncivilized actions”.
According to Belarus state media BelTA, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Meki claimed that the West was abusing the human rights issue to exert political pressure. At a news conference after talks between Russian and Belarusian foreign ministers in Moscow, Mackie said that “a massively complex offensive has been launched against Belarus,” which could not go unanswered.
Belarus’ Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that “Poland’s failed attempts to shift responsibility for the dynamically developing migration situation on Belarus seem weak,” warning the Polish side against “provocation”.
migrants stranded in the middle
Save the Children Europe director Anita Bey said the situation at the border is “against EU laws and values” and states need to ensure the safety of migrants and refugees trapped in temporary camps in a statement on Tuesday.
“Since late August, children stranded near the border with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have been battling hypothermia, exhaustion and hunger, while their mental and physical health deteriorated from their dangerous journey and drawn-out conditions. It is,” said Bey. “We have seen that entire families have been deported back to Belarus, and their requests for international security and immediate help have been ignored.”
Bay said it was “unacceptable that the lives of children and their families are being used as a bargaining chip in a regional conflict” before calling for the EU to be granted access “so that they could request international protection”. can”. can do.”
US State Department spokesman Ned Price reiterated Washington’s support for Poland on Tuesday, saying “the United States will stand with Poland and all of our partners in Europe who are threatened by unacceptable actions by Belarus.”
Journalist Magda Chodounik reported from Sokolka, Poland, while CNN’s Antonia Mortensen reported from Milan, Italy, and Lauren Said-Moorhouse from London. CNN’s Fred Pleitzen, Radina Gigova, Stephanie Halasz and Katharina Krebs also contributed to this report.