Kathrine Frich
Migration has long been a divisive issue across Europe, with governments struggling to balance humanitarian commitments and border control.
Recently, officials and analysts have warned that the situation may be entering a new and more complex phase.
Route through belarus
According to The Sun, asylum seekers from Africa and the Middle East are being offered visas and low-cost flights to Russia and Belarus.
Once there, many say they are transported toward the Belarus-Poland border and pressured to enter the EU.
Polish authorities recorded around 28,000 attempted crossings from Belarus last year, highlighting the scale of the route.
Harsh conditions
The border area is heavily fortified, with fencing, surveillance and thousands of guards stationed along the frontier.
Migrants told The Sun they were forced into remote forest areas and prevented from turning back.
“They wouldn’t let us turn back and told me they would shoot me dead if I tried. We ended up starving there for 40 days and nights,” said Somali migrant Ilyas Elmi.
He added: “There were four women in my group and one of them, she was called Nadia and 22 years old, got so sick she died.”
Claims of coercion
Some migrants reported being detained after failed crossings and pressured into other forms of work.
“I asked them what kind of work it would be and they said it would be cleaning, driving or perhaps gardening so I signed,” Elmi said.
“But I was then put in a van with other migrants and driven for two days and two nights until it stopped at an army camp near the Ukraine border.”
“I was horrified when I realised they had lied and told them I would refuse to fight.”
Violence at border
Testimonies also describe repeated attempts to cross the border, often involving violence from both sides.
“They took me and others like me to a hole they had cut in the fence and smashed us with batons as they pushed us through,” said a Sudanese migrant identified as Youssef.
“I was so terrified I gashed my leg crawling through the razor wire and was in a terrible state.”
He added: “The Poles didn’t beat me but pushed me back, then the Belarusians attacked me again and sent me back through another hole.”
Wider tensions
Polish officials cited by The Sun believe the situation is being driven at a state level.
“There is no question that the Russians are engineering this crisis,” said Lieutenant Katarzyna Zdanowicz of the Polish Border Force.
“Who else would organise so many crossing attempts and even dig professional tunnels under the border?”
The report also notes that the route has become increasingly dangerous, with deaths reported in freezing conditions and difficult terrain.
While some migrants have reached Western Europe, many remain stranded or face repeated pushbacks along the border.
Sources: The Sun, Interfax, Polish Border Force
