The head of the Polish border guard in a week-long migration crisis at the border said groups of people were attempting to breach the border on Monday evening.
“The situation at the border is tough. More groups of migrants are driven to the border. Efforts are being made to force them through the border,” said Evelina Szepenska, adding that she was confident the Polish military would handle the situation. can.
Poland’s Defense Ministry said earlier on Monday on Twitter that “a group of migrants is currently located near Kuznica.” The post was accompanied by aerial footage showing large crowds gathering on the Belarusian side of the border. The ministry later stated that: “Currently, the migrants have set up a camp in the Kuznica region. They are constantly protected by Belarusian services.”
Michael Tokarczyk, spokesman for the General Headquarters of the Polish Border Guard, told CNN: “Belarusian services are moving large groups of migrants to the Polish border. We look forward to their further action and we are prepared for any scenario.” Huh.”
In a follow-up statement, Tokarczyk specified that there are currently about 4,500 border guards and about 9,500 Polish Army soldiers stationed at the border as “a group of several thousand migrants is moving towards the Polish border.”
The Belarus State Border Committee, which is responsible for the country’s external borders, said migrants near the border want to enter Poland as refugees and do not pose a security threat.
border crisis dispute
In another tweet on Monday, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszak said thousands of soldiers “stand ready to defend the Polish border.”
Blaszczak wrote, “More than 12,000 people are on duty at the border … we have raised the state of alert.”
Meanwhile, the Polish Territorial Defense Forces also said in a tweet that it was raising the alert level to support the border guard, saying: “Soldiers! Check your gear and communication equipment, tell your employers and families “
The Polish Interior and Administration Ministry earlier said on Twitter that migrants from Belarus had so far been stopped on Monday and that the situation in Kuznica was under control.
It posted video showing Polish police and other armed personnel standing near a barbed wire fence, accompanied by migrants from Belarus. Meanwhile, according to the interior ministry, an urgent government crisis meeting was called amid rising tensions.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook: “The border of the Republic of Poland is not just a line of a map. It is sacred – the blood of Poles was shed for generations to protect it!”
The Lithuanian – which shares a border with both Poland and Belarus – said it was redeploying troops as tensions continued to rise, as reported by the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service and Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT.
“We are preparing for all possible scenarios,” the public broadcaster quoted Lithuania’s head of the border guard, Rustamas Liubjevas, as saying.
The exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Sichanovskaya urged a strong response from the European Union and the United Nations.
“Belarus regime exacerbates border crisis – migrants being pushed to EU border by armed men,” she tweeted. “Migrant trafficking, violence and abuse must stop.”
Belarusian reaction
The government of Belarusian President Lukashenko has repeatedly denied building up the migrant crisis, blaming the West for the crossing and its treatment of migrants. CNN has reached out to the Belarusian government for comment.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday defended Minsk’s handling of the migrant issue, saying Belarus was taking all necessary measures to act legally.
The Belarus State Border Committee also said in a Facebook statement: “Foreigners who are near the border with Poland may exercise their right to enter the territory of a neighboring country and apply for refugee status in the European Union. Declares intent. All these people, including women and children, do not pose a threat to safety and do not behave aggressively.”
The Belarus State Border Committee said it did not rule out the possibility of provocation from the Polish side. “Taking into account the statements of the Polish authorities about the concentration of armed forces and equipment near the border, we do not exclude provocative actions by the Polish side aimed at justifying the use of physical force and special means against refugees “
In a subsequent statement the committee said: “The situation on the Belarusian-Polish border remains extremely tense. More than 2,000 refugees, including a significant number of women and children, are in front of Polish barriers at the border … refugees are repeatedly Polish. Tried to inform the party that they have left their country as their lives are in danger.”
It then accused Polish security forces of applying tear gas to migrants and using “aviation to exert psychological pressure”, which led some of them to attack Polish barriers.
The charity says migrants face dire conditions trying to cross the border from Belarus in cold weather with a lack of food and medicine.
Polish officials said seven migrants were found dead at the border with Poland, with Belarus reporting more deaths.
Humanitarian groups also accused Poland’s ruling nationalists of violating the international right of asylum by pushing migrants back to Belarus instead of accepting their applications for protection. Poland says its action is legal.
CNN’s Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Allegra Goodwin and Eliza Mackintosh contributed to this report.
.