Poland Reports Record Number of Migrants at Belarusian Border

A record number of migrants have crossed the Polish border with Belarus since Friday, the Border Guard said on Monday, amid accusations Minsk is using illegal crossings to pressure European Union states.

Poland and Lithuania have seen a surge in illegal migration in recent weeks that is so severe the countries have appealed to the EU for help, with the parliament in Vilnius planning an extraordinary session on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Authorities in the countries have accused President Alexander Lukashenko of using migrants to put pressure on the EU to reverse sanctions on the country {snip}

The Polish Border Guard said in a statement on Monday it had detained 349 illegal migrants crossing the Belarus border since Friday. It said the migrants were probably from Iraq and Afghanistan.

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This year the Podlasie Branch of the Border Guard, which works on the border with Belarus, has detained 871 illegal immigrants.

In 2020 the Border Guard detained 122 illegal migrants crossing the Belarusian border.

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Lukashenko said that Belarus would retaliate when “hit” and that western countries should not use sanctions against Belarus.

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