Following a recent incident, Poland plans to reintroduce a restricted zone along its border with Belarus. This decision comes after a knife attack on a soldier at the border fence. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the need for a “buffer zone of about 200 meters where it is necessary for the Polish state to act efficiently,” during a visit to the border town of Dubicze Cerkiewne.
On Tuesday, a migrant reportedly attacked a soldier with a knife, causing serious injuries. The soldier was covering a gap in the border fence when a migrant stabbed him through the fence. The Border Guard released photos on social media showing a stick with a survival knife attached. The injured soldier was hospitalized and underwent surgery; his condition remains serious, according to the Ministry of Defense.
Poland and the EU accuse Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of deliberately sending migrants from crisis regions to the EU border to exert pressure on the West. Since July 2021 refugees from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan have been arriving to Belarus believing they could easily enter Europe via Minsk. However, they often found themselves stranded in the border area for weeks, as neither Poland nor Belarus allowed them to cross back.
In the summer of 2022, Poland secured its border with Belarus by constructing a 5.5-meter-high fence and installing an electronic surveillance system. Following the construction, a previously established three-kilometer-wide restricted zone along the border was lifted.
Despite the border fortifications, migrants continue to attempt irregular crossings into the EU daily. Since the beginning of the year, the Polish Border Guard has registered over 15,000 such attempts.
