Countries bordering Belarus expressed concern on Thursday (November 11) that more and more immigrants are trying to break through their borders into the European Union, which may escalate into a military confrontation.
Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia condemned “the deliberate escalation of the ongoing mixed attacks by the Belarusian regime, which pose a serious threat to European security”, referring to allegations that Belarus used immigrants as weapons.
The joint statement of the defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia said: “This increases the possibility of provocations and serious incidents, which may also spread to the military sphere.”
The defense ministers of 🇱🇹🇱🇻🇪🇪 believe that the security crisis on the border between 🇵🇱-🇧🇾 and 🇱🇹-🇧🇾 is very shocking, and they clearly condemned the deliberately escalated hybrid attack on the border It poses a serious threat to European security. pic.twitter.com/gvxnATjxcf
-Arvydas Anusauskas (@a_anusauskas) November 11, 2021
Warsaw authorities said on Thursday that immigrants stranded in Belarus threw stones and branches at Polish border guards and used logs to try to break the barbed wire fence overnight to force them to enter the European Union.
The European Union on Wednesday accused Belarus of launching a “hybrid attack” https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-flies-nuclear-capable-bombers-over-belarus-migrant-crisis-escalates-2021-11-10 Thousands of migrants fleeing war-torn regions of the world tried to enter the group and are preparing to impose new sanctions on Belarus.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko threatened to retaliate against any sanctions, including shutting down the transportation of natural gas and goods through Belarus.
The crisis triggered a new confrontation between the West and Russia. On Wednesday, Russia sent two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to patrol Belarusian airspace to show its support for its allies. Belarus stated that the Russian aircraft conducted the second day of exercises on Thursday.
“We must constantly monitor the situation at the border. Let them scream, let them scream. Yes, these are bombers that can carry nuclear weapons. But we have no choice. We have to see what they are doing outside the border,” Luca Shen Ke said.
In the comments made by the Belarusian state media, Lukashenko also said that without providing evidence, someone tried to transfer weapons to the immigrants, which he called a provocation. It is not clear who he accused of doing so.
The Kremlin stated that Russia has nothing to do with border tensions, and hinted that the presence of heavily armed personnel on both sides-apparently referring to the Belarusian and Polish border guards-is worrying. The Kremlin also rejected the “crazy” suggestion in media reports that its state-owned airline Aeroflot could be the target of retaliatory sanctions.
Fear
Migrants trapped between the two borders endure the cold weather in makeshift camps. Poland reported that at least seven migrants died in the months-long crisis, and other migrants expressed concern that they would die.
Border Guard spokesperson Ewelina Szczepanska told Reuters that none of the approximately 150 migrants gathered near the town of Bialowieza managed to break through the border and said there were 468 attempts to cross the border illegally on Wednesday.
Like Poland, neighboring Lithuania has imposed a state of emergency on the border and has also reported new attempts to breach the border.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said that Lithuania asked the United Nations to discuss the establishment of a “humanitarian corridor” along the Belarusian border to allow migrants to return to their countries of origin.
“We get information from social media that there are people at the border who want to return to Iraq and other countries. The only international organization that can put pressure on Belarus is the United Nations,” he told reporters in Vilnius.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pavel Jablonski said that the crisis is “the most serious threat Poland has faced in the past three decades”. He told the Italian daily La Stampa that the situation is expected to escalate in the next few days.
Ukraine said its border guards, police and National Guard will conduct exercises on the border with Belarus on Thursday to protect the country from possible migrants trying to breach the border.
Although not a member of the European Union, Ukraine is worried about becoming another frontier in the crisis.
After the veteran leader violently suppressed large-scale street protests against his rule in 2020, the EU accused Lukashenko of creating a situation in retaliation for earlier sanctions.
This spring, large numbers of people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and elsewhere began flying to Minsk. They then took taxis, buses, or cars provided by human smugglers to the borders of EU member states Poland, Lithuania or Latvia and tried to cross the border.
The Polish authorities stated that the number of flights from the Middle East to Belarus has increased dramatically in recent months, and the Polish prime minister called on the European Union to take action to prevent airlines from transporting migrants to Minsk.
Most immigrants use travel agencies in the Middle East to cooperate with Belarusian companies to book travel packages, which usually include visas, flights and accommodation.
The price of the whole journey varies, up to around $14,000. In October, Minsk restricted the number of travel agencies permitted to provide tourist invitations in Belarus, and smugglers and travel agencies reported price increases.
Russian flag carrier Aeroflot AFLT.MM denied participating in organizing large-scale migration of migrants to Belarus on Thursday after the company’s stock price fell after news reports that it may face EU sanctions due to the Belarus-Poland border crisis.
Lukashenko and Russia blamed the EU for the immigration crisis and stated that the EU did not live up to its humanitarian values by preventing immigrants from crossing the border.
