Belarus publishes photos – thousands of migrants spend the night in warehouses
‘Thousands are waiting in makeshift camps’
The situation on the Polish border with Belarus remains bewildering and tense. According to WELT reporter Christoph Wanner, violent clashes can occur at any time.
The situation on the border with Poland is dangerous, and the Belarusian state media does not get tired of emphasizing. So far, one of the state media has published photos showing more than a thousand migrants in an improvised camp at night.
NSThis is at least a slight improvement in their situation: According to the recent escalation at the border with Poland, about a thousand migrants have spent the night in a new sleeping camp, according to Belarusian reports.
Belarus’ state agency BELTA released photos of adults and children sitting in a hall with blankets and sleeping bags on Wednesday morning.
The night before, Governor Alexander Lukashenko had ordered that the storage facilities of a logistics company in the Grodno region near the border be converted into night camps.
There are also families with children among the immigrants
Source: dpa / Maxim Guchek
Source: Reuters
Source: AP / Maxim Guchek
Source: Reuters
Lukashenko, frequently criticized as “Europe’s last dictator,” was criticized for bringing people into this desperate situation in the first place. The European Union accuses him of specifically allowing migrants to be moved from crisis areas and pushing them towards the Polish border in order to put pressure on Europe.
He is believed to be trying to retaliate against EU sanctions for his suppression of civil society and opposition in Belarus.
Water cannons on the Polish border
On Tuesday, Polish security forces used water cannons against people who tried to breach the border facility in the direction of the European Union. A spokesman for the Polish intelligence coordinator Stanislaw Zarin spoke of a “coordinated attack on the Polish border.”
The immigrants had pelted the officers and soldiers with stones, bottles and dirt. It was also equipped with grenades and slingshots. The Belarusian security forces coordinated and monitored the work. According to Polish information, the clashes ended after two hours. Seven police officers, a border guard and a soldier were wounded. According to Belarusian sources, many refugees also had to receive medical treatment.
The information cannot be independently verified because Poland does not allow the media to report from the border area.
Many of the migrants later returned to their original camp in the woods. The Polish side spoke of about 2,000 people who were there. In the morning, Pelta also posted photos of migrants trying to protect themselves from the cold at outdoor campfires at temperatures near freezing point.
