Polish police accused Belarus of attempting to incite a huge clash on Monday, as social media images showed hundreds of refugees headed towards the Polish border.
Migrants carrying rucksacks and dressed in cold apparel were spotted strolling on the side of a motorway in one video uploaded by the Belarusian blogging service NEXTA.
Maciej Wasik, deputy interior minister, stated that “Polish authorities are prepared for any scenario.
” The European Union has accused Belarus of pushing thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa to enter EU nations via Belarus as a sort of hybrid warfare in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed on Minsk for human rights violations.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s administration has frequently denied creating a migrant issue, blaming the West for border crossings and migrant treatment.
The Belarusian state border committee released a statement confirming the movement of a big number of migrants down the highway to the Polish border and accusing Warsaw of an “inhumane attitude.”
Belarus was sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom after Lukashenko launched a harsh crackdown on huge rallies following a disputed election last year.
According to charities, the migrants encounter arduous conditions when attempting to cross the border from Belarus, including frigid temperatures and a shortage of food, drink, and medical treatment.
According to Polish police, at least seven deceased migrants have been discovered on Poland’s side of the border, with unconfirmed claims of further deaths in Belarus.
Humanitarian organizations accuse Poland’s ruling nationalists of breaching the international right to asylum by deporting migrants to Belarus rather than recognizing their claims for asylum.
