Several hundred soldiers will be directed to the Polish-Belarusian border in the upcoming days to ensure its security against increasingly common attempts to illegally enter Polish territory, Polish Republican party MP Mieczysław Baszko told local Radio Białystok.
Just last weekend, the Polish Border Guard detained around 350 foreigners who illegally crossed the Polish-Belarusian border. Since the start of 2021 the Podlaskie Border Guard unit has detained close to 900 illegal migrants – 8 times more than in all of 2020.
According to the Border Guard, all detained migrants will be transferred to guarded centers for foreigners based on a court ruling.
Minister of the Interior Mariusz Kamiński referred to the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border on Twitter.
“The situation on the border with Belarus is under control. I thank all those involved in protecting our safety on the border for their professional activity. The Polish state is prepared for every possible development of the situation,” he wrote.
Following the EU’s imposition of sanctions on Belarus due to the hijacking of an aircraft carrying a Belarusian oppositionist, Belarusian state airlines Belavia initiated regular flights to Baghdad.
The migrants are later transported from Minsk to the border with Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland with the full permission of Belarusian authorities.