A year ago, a new fortification on the border between Poland and Belarus was inaugurated. But the structure proved to be surmountable, and residents in the Polish border area report continued dramatic escape attempts.
A year after the official completion of the border fence on the eastern border, the Polish border guard determined that there is no barrier that cannot be overcome. But, says spokesman Michal Bura, his authorities now have more time to intervene.
Mostly men between the ages of 20 and 40 are coming. Before the border fence was built, women and children, even pregnant women, tried it.
Dramatic scenes – apparently brought about by Belarus
Poland responded to increasing numbers of migrants from primarily Arab and African countries, which have been arriving since 2021, by building an electronically monitored, barbed wire-rated border fence; obviously supported by the Belarusian state.
At times only chains of policemen with signs held back whole groups, and violence erupted. The practice of rejection left some people wandering around the wooded region for days; some paid for it with their lives.
Scenes like these were common in late summer 2021 – migrants who tried to get to Poland via Belarus and got stranded in the border area, sometimes dramatically.
The consequences – still noticeable today
On the one hand, the border fence brought relief to the residents of the border region; for months their home was a restricted area. It’s not that anymore, but cross-border small trade or tourism hasn’t recovered. If you ask residents in the border town of Krynki, you hear reports of refugees sleeping in the woods, of people trying to cross the border river into Poland. It’s dangerous, says a woman, many have drowned.
Especially since staggered rolls of NATO wire form further barriers behind the rivers, and there are also life-threatening swamp areas. If they do want to climb the border fence themselves, then, as far as can be seen, people use tunnels like ladders; in Arabic-language chat forums, people simply offer to rip holes in the fence for a few thousand dollars.
Wall critics in the border town of Krynki argue that the border fortifications only lead to more people using the services of criminal smugglers and taking more dangerous routes.
What happens behind the border fence? Polish activists are trying to get in touch with migrants on the Belarusian side near Bialowieza.
Difficult research near the border
Exactly what is happening in the border area and how many people may still be dying there undetected is unknown: locals avoid being near the border, and that too ARDDuring a visit by masked Polish soldiers, the team is instructed that this is a military-controlled area – and asked to leave.
Since the beginning of the year, the Polish border guards have officially recorded 12,500 attempts by people from 44 countries to cross the border irregularly. The refugee organization Grupa Granica says it received 4,600 calls from migrants in distress in the border area during the same period.
The authorities in Poland and neighboring Lithuania recently warned of increased activities from the Belarusian side. This could be related to the upcoming NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital.