Category: Belarus

Polish PM Calls for ‘Concrete Steps’ From NATO Amid Belarus Border Crisis

HAJNOWKA, Poland—NATO must take “concrete steps” to resolve the migrant crisis on the Belarus border, the Polish prime minister was quoted as saying on Sunday, adding that Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia may ask for consultations under Article 4 of the alliance’s treaty. Under Article 4, any ally can request consultations whenever, in the opinion of…


EU to Broaden Belarus Sanctions on Monday Over Migrant Crisis: Borrell

PARIS—EU foreign ministers will widen sanctions on Belarus on Monday to include airlines and travel agencies thought to involved in bringing migrants to the bloc’s border, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. The EU has accused Belarus of encouraging migrants to come to its territory and pushing thousands of them to cross…


Polish Police Say Group of 50 Migrants Broke Through Belarus Border

WARSAW—A group of about 50 migrants broke through defenses on the border with Belarus and entered Poland near the village of Starzyna, police said on Sunday, as the situation on the frontier becomes increasingly tense. Thousands of migrants have traveled to Belarus in the hope of crossing into the European Union, only to find themselves…


Polish Police Find Body of Young Syrian Near Belarus Border

WARSAW, Poland—Polish police said Saturday that the body of a young Syrian man was found in the woods near the border with Belarus, the latest victim in a political standoff at the European Union’s eastern border. The regime in Minsk has for months been encouraging illegal migration across its border into the EU nations of…


Russia Sends Strategic Bombers to Fly Over Belarus, Blames EU for Border Crisis

Russia dispatched two Tu-22M3 strategic bombers to patrol Belarusian airspace and practice interoperability with armed forces of command posts from the two economic and politically partnered nations, Russia’s ministry of defense announced on Wednesday. “During the flight, the aircraft practiced interoperability with the ground command posts of the armed forces of Russia and the Republic of…


EU Accuses Belarus of ‘Gangster’ Methods as Illegal Immigrants Attempt to Force Their Way Into Poland

NAREWKA, Poland—Hundreds of migrants on Tuesday camped near the Belarus-Poland border where razor wire fences and Polish border guards blocked their entry into the European Union. The EU vowed more sanctions against Belarus, accusing President Alexander Lukashenko of using “gangster-style” tactics in the months-long border stand-off in which at least seven migrants have died. Poland…


Illegal Immigrants Aided by Belarus Attempt to Force Their Way Into Poland

Hundreds if not thousands of illegal immigrants sought to illegally cross the border from Belarus into Poland on Monday, with some cutting razor wire fences and using tree branches and small trees to try and climb over. The development is an escalation of a crisis along the European Union’s eastern border that has been simmering…


Lithuania Starts Building First European Wall to Ward Off Migrants from Belarus

DRUSKININKAI, Lithuania—Lithuania has built the first stretches of a steel wall on its border with Belarus since migrants from the Middle East and other areas began entering from Belarus this year. The European Union accuses Belarus of deliberately encouraging the migrants to enter EU states Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia via Belarusian territory as a way…


Poland Fears ‘Major Incident’ as Migrants From Belarus Head for Border

KYIV—Polish authorities accused Belarus of trying to spark a major confrontation on Monday and said they had mobilized additional soldiers as footage on social media showed hundreds of migrants walking toward the Polish border. In one video, shared by the Belarusian blogging service NEXTA, migrants carrying rucksacks and wearing winter clothing were seen walking on…


Belarusian Forces Threatened to Open Fire at Polish Troops Guarding Border, Says Defense Ministry

Poland’s defense ministry on Thursday accused Belarusian soldiers of threatening to open fire on Polish troops just across the Polish-Belarusian border one day earlier. “Yesterday there was another provocation against Polish soldiers protecting the border,” the Polish Ministry of Defense (MOD) said. “The Polish soldiers located a group of around 250 migrants near the fence,” it…