Megathread – Belarusian/ Polish border migrant issue

**As the border crisis is ongoing and tight, we are still monitoring the news and continue to update the megathread, reviewed every other day to have a consolidated overview**

**What’s happening?**

Poland and other EU countries have accused Belarus of trying to provoke a new refugee crisis in Europe in revenge for their criticism of Alexander Lukashenko’s brutal crackdown on opposition and European sanctions after the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in May, in effect opening up a new migration route to the bloc. Travel agencies are providing them with flights to Minsk and then a transfer to the EU’s external border. People can be charged €15,000-€20,000 (£12,800-£17,100) when they reach Belarus.

Migrants attempting to cross from Belarus into the EU have become trapped between the two since October, when Polish police were authorised to summarily expel migrants and ignore asylum applications. Belarusian border guards refuse to allow them to turn back, meaning that people from countries including Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan are left in the inhospitable forests as temperatures drop below freezing.

**Polish response:**

Poland has deployed additional border guards, police and the military at its Belarus border. According to the Defense Ministry, the country now has 12,000 soldiers in the region. Members of Poland’s army reserve in the border regions were also put on full alert.

Poland has declared a state of emergency in a 3-kilometer-wide strip along its border with Belarus, preventing journalists from working there.

Poland has insisted on dealing with the crisis on its own, refusing offers of help from Frontex, the EU’s border agency which is headquartered in Warsaw.

**How has the EU responded?**

President of the European Comission Ursula von der Leyen called on EU member states to approve extended sanctions against “Belarusian authorities responsible for this hybrid attack.”

“The Belarusian authorities must understand that pressuring the European Union in this way through a cynical instrumentalisation of migrants will not help them succeed in their purposes,” she said in a statement.

Situation is developing.

**Some official links and footage:**

[Twitter link to Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in English)](https://twitter.com/PolandMFA)

[Polish Ministry of Defense – in POLISH](https://twitter.com/MON_GOV_PL)

**UPDATE 11.11.2021**

[The Embassy of the Republic of Iraq to the Russian Federation announces that it will organize an evacuation trip for Iraqi citizens wishing to return from the Republic of Belarus to Iraq](https://www.mofa.gov.iq/moscow/2021/11/11/%D8%B1%D8%AD%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7/)

[Lukashenko ponders cutting gas supplies if EU levies more sanctions over migrants](https://www.euronews.com/2021/11/11/belarus-lukashenko-ponders-cutting-gas-supplies-if-eu-levies-more-sanctions-over-migrants)

**UPDATE 12.11.2021**

[Belarus state airline Belavia and Turkey move to stop migrant flights](https://www.euronews.com/2021/11/12/belarus-state-airline-belavia-and-turkey-move-to-stop-migrant-flights)

[Russia sends paratroopers to Belarus for drills near Poland](https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/russia-sends-paratroopers-belarus-drills-poland-81127788)

[Team of 10 UK troops sent to Poland to assist on Belarus border- “engineering support” only](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/nov/12/british-troops-sent-to-poland-to-assist-with-belarus-border-situation)

**UPDATE 13.11.2021**

[Cham Wings Airlines – Syrian national carrier announce to suspend all flights to Minsk per today](https://twitter.com/ChamWings/status/1459569635901251586)

[Polish Government sends SMS messages to migrants to counter rumors that Monday busses will arrive that would transport them to Germany](https://www.gov.pl/web/mswia-en/alert)

**UPDATE 14.11.2021**

[“We are discussing with Latvia, and especially with Lithuania, whether to trigger Article 4 of the NATO treaty,” Mateusz Morawiecki told Polish state-run news agency PAP](https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/polish-police-say-group-50-migrants-broke-through-belarus-border-2021-11-14/)

[Poland broadcasting messages at the border in several languages informing that Poland does not consent to the transfer of migrants to Germany](https://twitter.com/StZaryn/status/1459829921413537792)

*”The Polish border remains closed and will be protected. No one is allowed to cross it without the required documents. You have been deceived by Belarus. The Belarusian services are taking advantage of you. You can demand a refund from the Belarusians and return home”*

[Poland created an official informational site with photos and videos to combat “fake news”](https://www.gov.pl/web/granica)

**Update 15.11.2021**

[Polish Ministry of Defence shows footage of large group of migrants being escorted to the Polish border](https://twitter.com/MON_GOV_PL/status/1460195611312107520)

[Footage of local Polish media shows large crowd gathered in front of a heavily guarded border](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hkA-k5xDpI)

***We are aware that this is a hot topic at the moment and we would like to remind you that racism, advocating violence, hate speech, personal attacks and agenda pushing are still bannable offences***