Poland Says Belarus Staged Armed Intrusion at Border, Summons Envoy

Polish information forces artifact amerciable aliens stuck connected the borderline with Belarus successful Usnarz Gorny, Poland, connected Sept. 1, 2021. (Czarek Sokolowski/Reuters)

WARSAW—Poland accused Belarus connected Wednesday of staging an equipped cross-border intrusion and said it had summoned the Belarusian complaint d’affaires to protestation implicit what it said was “a deliberate escalation” of the migrant situation astatine the frontier.

Belarus rejected the allegation arsenic unfounded and intended to sully its image. Minsk besides denies Polish and European Union accusations that it is deliberately encouraging amerciable migrants to participate Poland and different EU states via Belarusian territory.

Poland has imposed a authorities of exigency astatine the borderline to stem a surge successful the fig of migrants from countries specified arsenic Afghanistan and Iraq trying to participate its territory via Belarus.

Poland’s overseas ministry said unidentified uniformed individuals equipped with agelong guns had crossed into Polish territory from Belarus connected the nighttime of Monday, Nov. 1.

“Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk forwarded an emphatic protestation … against the usurpation of the Polish authorities border, emphasizing that the actions taken by the Belarusian authorities successful caller weeks person the progressively evident hallmarks of a deliberate escalation,” the ministry said successful a statement.

“[He] pointed retired that Poland deems specified actions unacceptable and volition not tolerate them … and urged the Belarusian broadside to explicate the incidental immediately.”

‘Escalation of Tension’

The Belarusian State Border Guard Committee spokesperson Anton Bychkovsky denied the accusation, which helium said was aimed astatine allowing Poland to widen its authorities of exigency astatine the border.

“This suggests that the main intent of these actions lies successful the tract of the escalation of hostility and further attempts to make a antagonistic representation of Belarus,” the authoritative Belta quality bureau quoted him arsenic saying.

The summoning of Belarusian envoy Alexander Chesnovsky, which took spot connected Tuesday, was the 3rd clip successful a period that helium has been called successful to reply questions astir the concern astatine the border, wherever hundreds person been trying to transverse illegally each day.

The European Commission and Warsaw accidental the travel of migrants has been orchestrated by Belarus arsenic a signifier of hybrid warfare designed to unit the EU implicit sanctions it imposed connected Minsk. Belarus denies this.

By Pawel Florkiewicz, Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, and Matthias Williams