Filenews 8 November 2021
Polish authorities today accused Belarus of trying to cause a serious incident, as social media posted videos of hundreds of migrants heading to the Polish border.
At the same time, Lithuania announced that it is moving troops to its border with Belarus, while considering declaring a state of emergency on the Belarusian border.
In a video posted on Twitter by the Belarusian opposition NEXTA, migrants holding backpacks and wearing winter clothes are seen walking on the edge of a highway.
Other videos show large groups of migrants sitting in the street and accompanied by gunmen dressed in khaki.
"Belarus wants to cause a serious incident, preferably with gunshots and casualties. According to press reports, they are preparing a major challenge near Kuznica Bialostotska, which will be an attempt to cross the border en masse," Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pyort Vavrzik complained to the Polish state radio station.
"Very alarming information from the border. A large group of migrants have gathered in Belarus, near the border with Poland. They are heading towards the borders of the Republic of Poland. They will try to enter Poland en masse," Stanislav Zarin, head of the national security service of the prime minister's office, tweeted.
Deputy Interior Minister Maciez Vasik tweeted that "the Polish authorities are ready for any scenario."
Troops on the border with Belarus moves Lithuania
For her part, Lithuanian Interior Minister Agna Milotet stressed that her country is moving troops to the border with Belarus in order to prepare for a possible influx of migrants.
At the same time, the Lithuanian government will consider whether to impose a state of emergency on the border with Belarus, she explained during a press conference.
Lithuanian authorities have refused to specify how many soldiers will be moved to the border, as well as the exact locations where they will be deployed, citing security reasons.
The EU accuses Belarus of encouraging thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa to enter its territory, using them to avenge sanctions on Minsk for human rights violations.
The EU, the US and Britain imposed sanctions on Belarus after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko particularly brutally suppressed the mass protests that erupted since his controversial election last year.
Lukashenko's government has repeatedly denied that it is causing an artificial migration crisis, blaming the West for the crossings of migrants and the way it treats them at the border.
Belarus' border guards issued a statement confirming that a large group of migrants are moving along the highway to the Polish border, noting that Warsaw is adopting an "inhumane attitude".
Charities denounce the inhumane conditions faced by migrants trying to cross the border from Belarus, under particularly low temperatures, with shortages of food, water and no medical care.
According to Polish authorities, at least seven migrants have been found dead on the Polish side of the border, while unconfirmed reports suggest that there have been other deaths in Belarus.
Humanitarian organizations accuse the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party of violating migrants' right to asylum by pushing them back to Belarus instead of accepting their applications. Poland insists that its actions are legal.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stressed on Facebook that "the Polish border is not just a line on the map. The border is sacred, Polish blood has been shed for them!"
