Polish Border Guard informed that it reported 92 attempts of illegal border crossing on Sunday (November 28), and that a group of foreigners tried to force their way into Poland near Mielnik, Podlaskie Voivodeship. Furthermore, Polish authorities have accused Belarusian guards of destroying the border fence in order to help migrants get through into Poland.
Video released by the Polish Ministry of Defence on Monday (November 29) shows Polish border guards fixing a damaged section of the Poland-Belarus border fence near Mielnik, as Belarusian border guards look on.
Polish officials accuse Belarusian border guards of breaking the border fence and thus facilitating the passage into EU territory for the stranded migrants.
The Polish border guard said that on Sunday (November 28), 92 attempts to cross the border were made.
A Polish army spokesperson said the tighter security at the border was making migrants more desperate, with many using force to push through, especially further south, with the help of Belarusians who gave them implements to break down the border fence.
Lukashenko, who denies the allegation that he fomented the crisis, has pressured the EU and Germany, in particular, to accept some migrants while Belarus repatriates others, a demand the bloc has so far flatly rejected.
The crisis on the Belarusian border, involving thousands of migrants from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere all hoping to get into the European Union, has dragged on for months.
Poland and the EU accuse President Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging the migrants to travel to Belarus and cross the border illegally as revenge for sanctions imposed on Minsk over human rights abuses. Belarus denies the charge and says the EU is to blame for the humanitarian crisis on the border.
Humanitarian agencies say as many as 13 migrants have died at the border, where many have suffered in a cold, damp forest with little food or water as winter sets in.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Podlaska Policja