Majority of smugglers from Germany
Police and military police control all vehicles approaching the border between Poland and Belarus at the Kuznica border crossing
Source: dpa / Michael Kappeler
The situation on the border between Poland and Belarus is worsening. Thousands of migrants are waiting there in the forest and are pushing into the EU. A confidential document from the European Commission shows how they came to Belarus and who the smugglers involved are.
D.he majority of the arrested escape workers who help migrants from Belarus to enter the European Union via Poland live in Germany. This emerges from an internal confidential document of the EU Commission, which WELT has.
“Most of the reported cases concern the arrest of drivers who enable irregular migrants (mostly from Syria, but also from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Yemen) to get to Germany in rented cars through Poland. In most cases, the drivers were third-country nationals (Iranians, Iraqis, Syrians and Turks) who live in Germany, ”it says.
Among the arrested people smugglers were Belarusians who were in possession of a Polish Schengen visa and Syrians who live in the Netherlands. According to the EU document, Germany and Finland are the main destinations for migrants who are currently on the Polish EU external border.
The Belarusian airline Belavia, in cooperation with Turkish Airlines, transports migrants from Istanbul to Minsk on four to seven flights a week, each with space for 180 passengers. It continues: “The number of Iraqi and Syrian citizens flying to Minsk via Dubai is increasing. The Fly Dubai Airline operates daily flights from Dubai to Minsk. ”A Syrian airline is also active:“ Cham Wing Airlines, a Syrian private airline, apparently continues to operate charter flights from Damascus to Minsk. ”
Russia, too, could soon play an important role for smugglers. According to the document, “a Russian airport near the Estonia-Latvia border could be added to the smuggling routes used by irregular migrants to enter the EU. Pskov airport may be able to handle flights from Belarus, Turkey and Egypt ”. From there, the migrants could then try to get to the Baltic States – and thus to European soil.