As of today, the buffer zone on the Polish-Belarusian border has been extended for another three months. The services report that since its introduction, the number of attempts to illegally cross the border in Podlasie has dropped by as much as 64 percent. During this time, border guards have also detained over 70 helpers and organizers of this illegal procedure.
– Only the period of its validity changes. Everything else remains unchanged. As a rule, it does not cover any towns or tourist trails – said our reporter Paweł Popkowski on TVN24.
As of today, the buffer zone on the Polish-Belarusian border has been extended for another three months. What was introduced by the regulation of the Ministry of Interior and Administration.
The buffer zone was introduced on June 13 Border Guard/ X
There were over six thousand attempts, compared to over 17 thousand in the same period earlier.
– First of all, the functioning zone, its introduction, has shown that the number of attempts to illegally cross the border has dropped significantly, by as much as 64 percent – said today the spokeswoman of POSG, Major Katarzyna Zdanowicz, at a conference summarizing the functioning of the buffer zone so far.
Presenting the figures, she said that during the zone's operation there were over 6,170 attempts to illegally cross the border, and in the same period before the zone was introduced – over 17,000. She also reported that during that time POSG officers detained over 70 helpers and organizers of illegal border crossings, and since the beginning of the year – over 270.
– These figures show that the introduction of this zone has brought the expected results, the number of attempts to illegally cross the border has decreased significantly – stressed Zdanowicz.
159 permits were issued to stay in the zone
She recalled that in May there were 7,000 such attempts, in June – over 3.7 thousand, in July – over 1.3 thousand, in August – over 2.2 thousand, and so far in September – over 900 attempts.
She also summed up the number of permits issued to stay in the zone (in accordance with the regulations, only residents, farmers, entrepreneurs, among others, can stay in the zone; other people must apply for permits from the commander of the given Border Guard post). 159 of them were issued, mainly to journalists (97).
Zdanowicz, speaking about the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, noted that there are daily attempts to illegally cross the border (over 60 such attempts in the past 24 hours), as well as attacks on Polish patrols.
– Unfortunately, there are attacks on Polish patrols every day. The last few days have shown us that the situation has not changed and people on the Belarusian side continue to throw stones and branches at Polish patrols – the spokeswoman noted.
SG: the buffer also means the safety of officers and soldiers
She added that two Border Guard cars were damaged last week, but no one was hurt.
She pointed out that the zone has been extended by another 90 days. She emphasized that thanks to the zone, performing tasks is “much more beneficial”. She noted that the functioning of the zone means a decrease in the number of attempts to cross the border, but it also means the possibility of stopping so-called couriers who come to pick up migrants. She emphasized that the buffer also means the safety of officers and soldiers who are on duty at the border.
🔴️ During the 89 days of the buffer zone's operation @Guard_of_Border recorded 6,130 attempts to illegally cross the border. In the same period preceding the introduction of restrictions, there were 17,030 such attempts. This is a decrease of 6️⃣️⃣ percent. ❗
More information in the announcement ⤵️… pic.twitter.com/EeaGoeXsFl
— MSWiA 🇵🇱 (@MSWiA_GOV_PL) September 10, 2024
“Belarusian services are unpredictable”
Asked if there were any plans to expand the zone to include other sections of the Polish-Belarusian border (in the latest daily reports, the Border Guard states that attempts are being made along the entire border), she said that the situation is being constantly monitored. She noted that the buffer was introduced in the vicinity of the Białowieża Forest, because in this area “it was easiest to penetrate, hide and easiest for couriers to approach”. She added that the services protecting the border are on the entire section of the Polish-Belarusian border, are active and in large numbers.
– The border is well secured. We know that the Belarusian services are unpredictable and will try to carry out these illegal crossings by sending those who want to cross the border illegally to various places, while we monitor, observe, and if necessary, we will take appropriate actions – she emphasized.
There were also fewer police interventions.
The spokesman for the Podlasie police, Senior Inspector Tomasz Krupa, who was present at the conference, drew attention to the decrease in interventions at the border. While the police intervened over 20 times before the zone was introduced, since the beginning of the zone there have been 18 such interventions in connection with aggressive behavior of migrants trying to get to Poland. Krupa reported that thanks to the police actions, 10 so-called couriers and 162 people who crossed the border illegally were detained.
The police also conduct training for soldiers who are to serve on the Polish-Belarusian border. So far, 21,000 soldiers and over 100 Border Guard officers have been trained throughout the country. Training for border guards has been conducted since 2021.
Valid in Podlaskie on approx. 60 km of the border
The high efficiency of all services was highlighted by the spokesman for the “Safe Podlasie” operation, Lt. Col. Kamil Dołęzka. He informed that over 6,000 soldiers are sent to protect the border on the front line every day, performing foot and mobile patrols. He emphasized that the soldiers detained over 1.4 thousand people who illegally crossed the border and were then handed over to the Border Guard.
The buffer zone was introduced on June 13 on approximately 60 km of the Polish-Belarusian border in Podlaskie, in Hajnówka County. A ban on staying there applies. For more than 40 km, it is forbidden to stay in a strip 200 meters wide from the border line, for 16 km the strip is approximately 2 km wide. It was introduced for 90 days, and based on another regulation of the Ministry of Interior and Administration from September 11, its operation was extended for another 90 days.
Operation “Lock” – the crisis caused by Lukashenko
Migration crisis on the borders Belarus with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia was triggered by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who is accused of waging a hybrid war. It involves the organized transfer of migrants to the territory of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Lukashenka, over the course of more than 28 years of his rule, has often threatened Europe with weakening border controls.
The operation of bringing migrants to Belarus from the Middle East or Africa to provoke a migration crisis was previously described on his blog by Tadeusz Giczan, a journalist from the Belarusian opposition channel Nexta. He explained that the Belarusian services are conducting the “Sluice” operation, invented 10 years ago, in this way. Under the guise of trips to Minsk, promising to transfer them to Western Europe, Lukashenka's regime has brought thousands of migrants to Belarus. Then it transports them to the borders of EU countries, where the Belarusian services force them to cross them illegally. This operation is still ongoing.
Aid organizations on the situation at the border
Organizations providing humanitarian aid on the Polish-Belarusian border claim that despite the change of government in Poland, the law is still being broken against migrants. They claim that they have documented cases of people being thrown out of the border with Belarus who had clearly requested international protection in the presence of volunteers. During one of the press conferences, a drastic film was presented, made available by the Podlaskie Volunteer Humanitarian Emergency Service, showing a limp body of a woman being dragged through a gate in the border fence and abandoned on the other side.
Aid organizations demand that the government restore the rule of law on the Polish-Belarusian border, pursue a border protection policy that respects international and domestic law guaranteeing access to the procedure for applying for international protection and observing the principle of non-refoulement, initiate administrative proceedings against persons crossing the border as provided for by law, immediately stop violence at the border against persons on the way and hold those guilty of violence accountable.
“We know about people in serious health being thrown out of military ambulances, as well as being taken directly from hospitals. Men, women with children and unaccompanied minors are being sent behind the barbed wire and border fence. The deportations are constantly accompanied by violence from the Polish services: using tear gas, beating, stripping naked, kicking, throwing to the ground, handcuffing, destroying phones and documents, taking away backpacks with provisions and clean water. People tell us that they are forced by threats or physical violence to sign declarations that they do not want to apply for international protection in Poland, and then they are taken beyond the fence,” we read in a joint statement of the organization.
Read more at tvn24.pl: Crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border
Main image source: Border Guard/ X