Poland-Belarus Border Crisis Deepens as Migrants Attempt Fence Breaches

• Poland-Belarus border crisis deepens as migrants attempt fence breaches

• A camp of migrants at Kuznica had also split off into smaller groups, without giving numbers.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Migrants stranded on the Polish-Belarus border have attempted hundreds of crossings, but have been thwarted by 15,000 Polish soldiers stationed to halt them, according to Polish police.

Thousands of people have been stranded as a result of an intensifying geopolitical dispute in which the European Union, the United States, and NATO have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of orchestrating a migrant crisis on the EU’s eastern border in order to destabilize the bloc in retaliation for sanctions imposed over human rights violations.

His administration disputes the allegations, blaming the West for risky, often deadly border crossings and inadequate migrant care.

The Polish border guard claimed it had documented roughly 600 migrant crossing attempts on Tuesday, as well as “three large-scale” attempts overnight into Wednesday, each involving more than 100 individuals.

A border guard press officer told reporters Wednesday that nine persons were detained and 48 were promptly returned to Belarus.

Polish defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak told Polish radio that there was still a substantial group of people on the Belarusian side of the Kuznica border crossing, which authorities closed on Tuesday. A Polish border guard representative previously told CNN that some of the migrants were pushed toward the barriers by Belarusian services.

Błaszczak added that a camp of migrants at Kuznica had also split off into smaller groups, without giving numbers.