On Friday evening near Białowieża, several trucks approached the Polish-Belarusian border, and 100 to 110 migrants got out of the trucks and began to throw rocks, tree branches and pipes in the direction of the Polish police, Border Guard and military officers.
Border Guard spokeswoman lieutenant Anna Michalska stated that at the same time that the migrants threw a footbridge onto the barbed wire barrier, Belarusian Border Guard officers blinded Polish services with lasers and strobe lights. A group of foreigners managed to break through the border and reached approximately 12 meters into Polish territory.
“The intruders were detained and turned back by Polish Border Guard towards the border. The whole operation from the Belarusian side was directed by Belarusian services,” Michalska stated.
She added that two Polish soldiers had been wounded during the attack, but that the wounds were minor and they were assisted on site. None of the foreigners required medical aid.
No more mass attempts to cross the Polish-Belarusian border were recorded during the weekend. Small groups of migrants attempted to illegally cross the border, but they were not violent and the attempts were quickly prevented.
The Border Guard posted a video from the Friday attack near Białowieża on Twitter. In the recording, one can see the migrants breaking through the barbed wire barrier and lasers being directed from Belarus towards the Polish side.
Since the start of 2021, the Border Guard has recorded over 37,000 attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border. Over 8,000 attempts were in November, close to 17,300 in October, almost 7,700 in September and over 3,500 in August.
On Sept. 2, 2021, the Polish government introduced a state of emergency in the regions closest to border that will be in force till Dec. 2.
A new border barrier will be erected on the Polish-Belarusian border by mid-2022. It will be 180 kilometers long and 5.5 meters tall and cover the Podlaskie region. The border fence will be equipped with modern surveillance equipment and motion sensors.
