Kathrine Frich
Russia’s war in Ukraine has reshaped migration patterns across the continent, displacing millions and straining borders far beyond the battlefield.
Across eastern Europe, governments say the movement of people has become entangled with wider security tensions.
Border tunnels uncovered
Polish officials say they have discovered a series of underground passages running beneath the frontier with Belarus this year.
Lt Col Katarzyna Zdanowicz of the Podlaskie Border Guard Unit told The Telegraph: “Officers of the Podlaskie Border Guard Unit have uncovered a total of four tunnels under the border with Belarus, all in 2025.”
One of the largest was found near the village of Narewka in December.
Authorities said about 180 migrants, mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, used the route before being detained after emerging in Poland.
According to Polish officials, the tunnel stood about 1.5 metres high, with an entrance concealed in forest on the Belarusian side. It extended roughly 50 metres inside Belarus and a further 10 metres into Polish territory.
Outside expertise suspected
Footage released by border guards showed a tight crawl space reinforced with concrete supports. Polish authorities have suggested the construction required specialist knowledge.
Military analysts cited in the report said only a small number of groups have demonstrated the capability to build such tunnels, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and certain Kurdish factions.
Dr Lynette Nusbacher, an American military historian and strategist, said it was “plausible” that Iranian-backed groups like Hezbollah might be responsible. “We also have ample evidence of Hamas doing the same thing in Gaza,” she said.
Hybrid war claims
Warsaw argues the developments form part of a broader campaign by Moscow to pressure NATO states using migration flows.
A report published last year by the Henry Jackson Society said there was evidence Russia had engineered surges towards Western borders to create political strain.
Belarus, led by Alexander Lukashenko for more than 30 years, has previously been accused by the EU of encouraging arrivals from the Middle East and Africa and directing them towards neighbouring member states.
Poland responded to earlier crossings by constructing a 115-mile steel barrier along its border in 2022, later upgrading it with cameras and motion sensors.
Deputy interior minister Czesław Mroczek said on Polish radio: “Digging these tunnels means that our effectiveness in stopping migration is so high that it was decided to bring in specialists from the Middle East to dig them.”
Sources: The Telegraph, Henry Jackson Society, Express.
