PThe Belarusian side, in turn, reported three new attempts by refugees to cross the border with Belarus. The Border Guard of Poland claims that they are carried out under the supervision of Belarusian soldiers
Polish security forces tried to stop refugees trying to cross the border with pepper gas and automatic bursts. This was reported by the Border Committee of Belarus.
According to him, two migrants approached the barriers at the border on Tuesday to apply for refugee status. In response, the border guards sprayed pepper gas. Later, on Wednesday night, another group of migrants tried to cross the border with Poland. In response, the Polish security forces opened fire from machine guns. “To prevent possible provocations, this area was covered by Belarusian servicemen,” the message of the Belarusian border committee says. At the same time, the border guards did not specify where exactly the incident occurred and where the Polish security forces shot.
The Polish border guard said that migrants on Tuesday tried three times to break through the border from the territory of Belarus. About 100 people on the evening of November 23 tried to break through the border at the site in Dubich-Tserkevna, they threw stones at the border guards. A large number of migrants managed to cross the border illegally, but theirdetained and expelled from the territory of the country. Two Iraqi citizens were hospitalized. According to the border guard, attempts to break into Poland were “under the supervision of Belarusian soldiers”. Two more groups of migrants – 30 and 40 people each – tried to cross the border in Melnik, one border guard was injured.
The migration crisis on the border of Belarus with Poland has been going on for several months: refugees, mainly from the Middle East, are trying to enter Poland in order to then get asylum in EU countries. The situation escalated on November 8, when a large column of migrants moved towards the border with Poland. The Belarusian border guard stated that the refugees took this step because of the “indifference and inhumane attitude of the Polish authorities”, but did not explain where they came from in such numbers at the border.
On November 21, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced his intention to completely close the border with Belarus. So far, only one border crossing has been closed at the border — «Forge» («Bruzgi» from the Belarusian side »). As reported on Wednesday by RIA Novosti with reference to the representative of the Polish Border Guard Anna Michalska, the country is not going to open this checkpoint in the near future.
On Wednesday, RIA Novosti quoted Katarzyna Zdanovich, spokeswoman of the Podlaskie Commandant’s Office of the Polish Border Guard, as saying that there are no refugee camps directly near the Belarusian-Polish border line.
Lithuania and Latvia complain about the influx of migrants from the territory of Belarus, both countries have introduced a state of emergency due to the growing flow of refugees. Similar measures are in effect in Poland.
The EU accuses Belarus of using migrants for political purposes. The community countries have agreed on the fifth package of sanctions against the republic, they will be introduced in the near future. The list will include individuals and legal entities. As Reuters wrote, the restrictions will affect those whom the EU considers responsible for the emergence of the migration crisis, including Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei. In early December, the United States also intends to impose sanctions against Belarus.
The Polish Prime Minister accused Russia of involvement in the crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border. Acting German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urged him to influence Minsk. Russia’s involvement in the migration crisis was previously denied by Putin and the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.
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