Serious Situation: Crowds of Illegal Migrants from African Countries Attempt to Storm Poland’s Border from Belarus
In recent weeks, pressure on the Polish-Belarusian border has increased significantly. Defence Minister Władysław Kosińiak-Kamysz said that the situation is a cause for serious concern. The minister said that since the beginning of September, more than 2,500 attempts to illegally cross the border have been recorded, and over the past nine months, the number of such attempts has exceeded 26,000 - the same number as in the whole of 2023.
While the army is actively involved in the recent flood relief efforts as part of Operation Phoenix, protecting the eastern border remains a priority.
‘Operation Safe Podlasie has been going on for several months now. It involves 17,000 soldiers, and we will coordinate our efforts even more closely with the border guard services and police,’ - stressed the head of the Ministry of Defence.
In turn, the Polish Deputy Prime Minister announced greater integration of the services involved in the operation, including the army, border guards and police.
‘This is the only way we can protect our border,’ he stressed.
Operation Phoenix is currently underway in southwestern Poland to rebuild and clean up areas affected by floods.
The Polish army's Operation Secure Podlasie to protect the state border has been going on for many months and does not involve military personnel stationed at the country's border, the head of the Ministry of Defence said.
Earlier, on 11 September, the head of the Polish Ministry of the Interior signed a decree extending the buffer zone on the border with Belarus for another 90 days.
As you know, the ban on staying in a certain territory in the buffer zone has been in effect since 13 June 2024. It came into force following a surge in attempts by armed illegal migrants from poor African countries to cross the border from Belarus and a series of violent incidents, one of which resulted in the death of a Polish soldier.
