In a violent confrontation on May 6, a group of about 80 individuals engaged in a forceful attempt to cross the Polish-Belarusian border near the border patrol station in Bialowieża.
According to the Polish Border Guard, the migrants tried to cross the Przewłoka River, hurling tree branches and stones at the Polish authorities to clear their way into Western Europe.
Katarzyna Zdanowicz, a spokesperson for the Border Guard, reported that the majority of these migrants retreated back into Belarus.
The Border Guard is actively pursuing legal actions against those who managed to illegally cross over. This incident follows a similar occurrence at the beginning of April where over 220 migrants attempted to breach the border, also using branches and stones as projectiles; that attempt was thwarted, with the group retreating.
Recent weeks have seen a surge in such border crossing attempts, with over 1,000 attempts recorded since the beginning of May compared to 3,400 in March and over 5,300 attempts noted in April alone.
In a related event, RMF FM radio reported on Wednesday that a Russian army deserter was detained during an attempt to cross from Belarus into Poland.
The 41-year-old was unarmed and in civilian clothing, apparently trying to flee directly from the Ukrainian front by exploiting a migration route organized by the Belarusian regime, primarily used by individuals from the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.
