Western leaders are accusing Belarus of creating a migrant crisis on the EU’s eastern border as a retaliation for sanctions on human rights abuses. President Alexander Lukashenko’s government has repeatedly denied such claims, instead blaming the West for the crossing and poor treatment of migrants.
Russia, Belarus’ largest political and economic partner, continues to defend Minsk over its handling of the border crisis, while denies any involvement in it.
“I want to tell you something else. I want everyone to know. We have nothing to do with it. Everyone is trying to impose responsibility on us for some reason or the other.” been doing.” 24 by the state broadcaster Russia.
“Our airlines are not transporting these people. We don’t have any.”
Putin said Lukashenko also claimed there was no involvement through Belarus’ national airline, Belavia.
“By the way, Belavia, as Alexander Grigorievich” [Lukashenko] Told me, they don’t even have transport. They book the charter, it’s visa-free entry – people buy tickets and fly. Yes, some groups are engaged in transporting these people to European countries, but they have been working for a long time, ”said Putin.
Belarus Foreign Minister Vladimir Meki said on Friday that the Belarusian side was doing everything possible to reduce the flow of migrants.
Meanwhile, Poland has deployed 15,000 troops to the border to prevent illegal crossings, the Polish defense minister said on Wednesday. According to the Polish Border Guard, about 4,500 people have tried to cross the border since the beginning of this month.
The border guard on Saturday accused Belarusian officials of equipping migrants with tear gas.
“A group of around 100 migrants were waiting for the possibility of an illegal border crossing. Belarusians armed foreigners with tear gas, which was used for Polish services. This and subsequent attempts to cross illegally [the border] Was stopped,” the border guard said via Twitter. No photos or videos were provided to substantiate the allegations.
The border guard said that overnight, near the Polish city of Zaremcha, Belarusian troops first began “destroying the temporary border fence”, then smashing fence posts and barbed wire with a service vehicle. It also reiterated its claim that Belarusian officials were using lasers and strobe lights against Polish security services at the border.
Both sides have accused each other of spreading misinformation when there is a crisis.
Syrian man found dead
Meanwhile, thousands of people are stranded between Poland and Belarus in a situation the United Nations has called “devastating”. Desperate scenes of hunger and hypothermia are emerging in the forests and in makeshift camps along the border, as geopolitical disputes intensify.
Officials from the Belarusian State Border Committee told CNN on Friday that the size of the migrant camp crossing the Brzegi-Kuznica border with Poland is expected to double within a week if the refugee crisis remains unresolved.
Officials told CNN that there are currently about 2,000 people waiting in the border area, but hundreds are showing up daily, and Belarusian state border officials estimate that figure will rise to 5,000 within a week.
The body of a young Syrian man was found Friday in a forest near the Poland-Belarus border near Volka Terechowska, about 80 miles south of Kuznica, according to a tweet by Polish police.
“The activities at the place where the body was found do not clearly determine the cause of death,” the police said.
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski on Saturday called the escalating crisis an “attack” on the European Union, of which Poland is a member state.
He posted on Twitter, “We are tackling an attack on the entire EU using an artificially created migration crisis. It’s about creating an Eastern European migration route. Everyone knows that – both Europe and the Americas.” In “
Kaminski said he spoke to his German counterpart Horst Seehofer, who said that Kaminsky had offered his support on the construction of the border wall.
US President Joe Biden told reporters Friday night that the situation at the Belarus-Poland border is “a matter of great concern”.
“We have conveyed our concern to Russia,” he said. We have conveyed our concern to Belarus. We think it’s a problem,” Biden said.
military construction
Neighboring Ukraine is also stepping up security. On Thursday, it announced that it would conduct military exercises with about 8,500 troops and 15 helicopters in the region near its borders with Poland and Belarus to counter a possible migrant crisis.
The display of force manifested across the region continues to test a fragile political system, with the United States accusing Russia of military build-up on the prospect of a wider geopolitical crisis.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the US is “concerned by reports of unusual Russian military activity” and noted the possibility that Russia may “attempt to redo” its 2014 invasion of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hit back at the allegations on Friday, saying they represented an “empty, baseless escalation of tension”.
In turn, Putin criticized “unscheduled” NATO exercises in the Black Sea in a Russia 24 interview broadcast on Saturday.
“It’s like they’re keeping us on our toes. Well, they should know we’re on our toes,” Putin said.
“The United States and its NATO allies are now conducting unscheduled exercises in the Black Sea – I want to emphasize – unscheduled exercises. Not only is a fairly powerful naval group formed, but aviation is also used during these exercises Including strategic aviation, ”Putin said. “This is a serious challenge for us.”
CNN’s Antonia Mortensen reported from Kuznica, Anna Chernova from Moscow and Duarte Mendonka from London. CNN’s Matthew Chance, Zahra Ullah and Eli Malloy contributed to this report.