According to RIA Novosti, on Tuesday, 16 November, refugees from the Middle East launched an assault on the Belarusian-Polish border. The migrants tried to cross into Poland, but the police repelled the attack with tear gas, stun grenades and water cannons. Immigrants responded by throwing stones at border guards. According to the Polish authorities, one of the soldiers suffered a head injury.
The State Border Police of Belarus accuses Poles of inhumane treatment of migrants:
“Some foreign men, driven to utter despair by the intolerable conditions in which they and their families had been living in the last 24 hours, attempted to break into Poland. In response, the Polish side sent jets on unarmed refugees at once from several water cannons and used flash-bang grenades”, – quotes the Russian service BBC.
In this case, it is interesting that the EU has shot itself in the foot with its policies. Tolerance of refugees and migrants is one of the most important policy points of the EU member states. Belarus is actually accusing Poland of something that the European Union states usually blame other countries for.
In response, the Polish Ministry of Defense announced that Belarusian border guards armed migrants with stun grenades. By the evening of November 16, Lukashenka arranged overnight accommodation for the refugees at the transport and logistics center. Mattresses, blankets, a field kitchen and bio-toilets were prepared for them there. However, some of the migrants chose to stay near the Polish border, as reported by Novaya Gazeta.
Last week, there was a spontaneous refugee camp on the borders of States that wanted to move to the EU. The migrants could not pass the Polish checkpoint and therefore set up tents nearby.
Poland accuses Minsk of creating a migration crisis. Even before the beginning of the assault on the border, the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Moravetsky was brought to justice by the Russian President.
“Lukashenko is the executor of the latest attack. But this attack has a client who is in Moscow. And this customer – President Putin”, – brings the words of the Polish premier Russian Air Force service.
Angela Merkel also tried to influence the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border. The chancellor called Putin with a request to “influence the regime in Minsk. A report on the phone call reports that Merkel emphasized the inhumanity of using migrants as a means to pressure the European Union. According to RT, Putin said no and suggested that the German side engage in discussions directly with Belarus.
Later, there was a conversation between Angela Merkel and Alexander Lukashenko. According to RT, the German and Belarusian leaders discussed resolving the situation on the border between Poland and Belarus, preventing escalation and providing humanitarian aid to migrants.
The press service of the president reported that Lukashenko is currently expecting another conversation with Merkel. The German chancellor paused to discuss details with other EU countries.
