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Poland Reports Clashes With Migrants Near Belarus Border Amid Fears Of Military Escalation

By RFE/RL November 11, 2021

European Union officials from countries bordering Belarus have warned the crisis could turn into a military clash as hundreds of migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan, and Africa remain trapped along the frontier in freezing temperatures and with little food, attempting to enter Poland.

Poland has accused Belarus of committing "terrorism" over its role in an escalating border row, while the European Union moved closer to penalizing Minsk for provoking the crisis. In turn, Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka threatened to cut off gas to Europe in retaliation for any new sanctions.

The crisis has sparked a new confrontation between the West and Russia, which dispatched nuclear capable strategic bombers into the skies over Belarus in a show of support for its ally.

The Polish Defense Ministry on November 11 said that "a group of several hundred migrants attempted to cross the border by force" in the area of Bialowieza the previous day, following similar attempts over the past few days.

"The attack began by throwing objects at the soldiers and then attempting to destroy the fence. Soldiers fired warning shots into the air," it tweeted.

The ministry also shared a video of the border area near the Bruzhi-Kuznica border crossing showing security forces patrolling with dogs along razor wire fences, with crowds of people standing on the Belarusian side of the frontier.

According to the Border Committee of Belarus, more than 2,000 people are gathered on the Belarusian side of the border with Poland.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvidas Anushauskas said there could be more than 1,000 migrants along his country's border with Belarus.

"This increases the possibility of provocations and serious incidents that could also spill over into military domain," a joint statement by the Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian defense ministers said, noting the "deliberate escalation of the ongoing hybrid attack by the Belarusian regime, which is posing serious threats to European security."

The influx of migrants to Belarus has been building for several months, with thousands of them trying to illegally enter Poland, as well as fellow EU members Latvia and Lithuania.

The EU has accused Lukashenka of flying in migrants and funneling them to the bloc's borders to retaliate against Brussels for sanctions imposed after last year's disputed presidential election.

Lukashenka's government, which is backed by Russia, denies the EU charges and has accused Poland and the EU of violating human rights by refusing to allow the migrants to apply for asylum.

The bloc's 27 ambassadors agreed on November 10 that the situation constituted a legal basis for further sanctions, which could come as early as next week and target some 30 individuals and entities including the Belarusian foreign minister and the national airline.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said sanctions will be expanded "very rapidly" at the beginning of next week, including the possibility of sanctioning airlines that "facilitate human trafficking towards Minsk and then the EU-Belarus border."

EU foreign ministers may give the green light for a fifth Belarus sanctions package at their meeting in Brussels on November 15, a diplomat told Reuters on November 11, adding that the package could include further listings of individuals and companies.

Meanwhile, Lukashenka warned that Minsk would respond to any additional sanctions against it.

Noting that Russia's Yamal-Europe pipeline to Germany transits through Belarus to Poland, he told government officials in comments released by the presidency: "And what if we halt natural gas supplies?"

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated Moscow's claim that it had nothing to do with the crisis on the Belarus-Poland border, and rejected as "crazy" a suggestion in a media report that Russia's state flag carrier, Aeroflot, could be targeted with retaliatory sanctions.

Aeroflot denied any involvement in organizing mass transportation of migrants to Belarus.

Highlighting the geopolitical dimension of the crisis, Russia on November 10 sent two Tu-22M3 nuclear-capable bomber aircraft flying over Belarusian airspace.

Russia sent another pair of nuclear-capable strategic bombers - this time Tu-160s -- on a training mission over Belarus the next day, the Belarusian Defense Ministry said.

"Yes, these are bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. But we have no other option. We must see what they are doing there beyond the borders," Lukashenka said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's Interior Ministry announced that the country's border guards, police, and the national guard will hold drills on the border with Belarus on November 11 aiming to "counter the potential crisis with migrants."

In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on November 10: "The idea that Belarus would weaponize migration is...profoundly objectionable."

Blinken said the U.S. administration will keep pressure on Lukashenka "as long as the regime is refusing to respect its international obligations, or commitments, as long as it's undermining peace and security in Europe through its actions, and as long as it continues to repress and abuse people."

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, and RFE/RL's Belarus Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-sanctions-poland -border-migrants-eu-/31555966.html

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Poland Reports Clashes With Migrants Near Belarus Border Amid Fears Of Military Escalation