According to the Polish border guard, three large groups of migrants on the border between Poland and Belarus tried unsuccessfully on Tuesday evening to break through Polish border barriers and enter the European Union.
A Polish soldier was injured in the head, a spokesman said on Wednesday. On Friday, the Polish Border Guard blocked previous attempts by migrants to cross the border.
Near the Polish town of Dubicze Cerkiewne, a group of more than a hundred people tried to penetrate Polish territory, the Polish side said. “These people were very aggressive; they threw stones at Polish border guards, they threw a wooden plank on the barbed-wire barrier, migrants cut parts of the barrier,” the spokesman said.
The migrants briefly managed to reach the Polish side of the border. However, they were arrested and taken back to the Belarusian side.
Two other attempts took place near the Polish town of Mielnik, where groups of about 30 migrants also tried to cross the border in the evening and later shortly before midnight. Because Poland does not allow journalists into the area, the claims cannot be verified.
Tensions have been rising on the border between Poland and Belarus for weeks as refugees were flown to Minsk by the regime of Belarusian dictator Lukashenko is trying to cross the border into Poland. According to the European Union, Lukashenko wants to start a new migration crisis, but the dictator denies the allegations.