Poland says Russia and Belarus are involved in attacks on border guards

The Polish Border Guard considers Belarusian and Russian officers to be involved in the illegal migrants’ organised attacks on Polish border guards.

Source: European Pravda

Details: The Polish Border Guard Service on 22 May reported about a 21 May incident in which foreigners, some of whom were wearing masks, damaged the windscreen of a police car reacting aggressively to patrols.

Quote: "The Belarusian [Border Guard – ed.] Service, with Russia’s support, is constantly trying to create a route for illegal migration through our country," Polish border guards say, noting that illegal migrants appear daily in the territory accessible only to Belarusian border guards.

Details: Stanisław Żaryn, Polish Government Commissioner for Information Space Security, called the actions of Russia and Belarus a "hybrid operation".

"The hybrid operation against Poland continues. Russia remains the main beneficiary of actions against Europe. Launching the illegal migration route against NATO was part of the aggressive actions against the West. Russia still hopes to destabilize the region," he said on Twitter.

Background: The regime of Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, organised a hybrid migration crisis on the borders of Belarus' European neighbours that has lasted since the summer of 2021, facilitating the arrival at the border of people from Africa and the Middle East trying to enter the EU. The Baltic states and Poland see this as retaliation for their tough stance on Lukashenko's repression of the Belarusian opposition and civil society.

The intensity of such attempts has significantly decreased since the winter of 2021, but the problem has not disappeared. Individuals helping migrants continue their journey into the EU have also been regularly identified.

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