Poland in Libya

In the period of increasing military aggression against Ukraine, it is noticeable that the activities of Russian propaganda are strengthening. Actions using the migration route and Russia's military pressure on Ukraine are elements that are part of the Kremlin's hybrid aggression against the West. Let’s remember Belarus has never been on the migration track from the Middle East, even in 2015-16 when hundreds of thousands of people were trying to get to Europe.

Poland and NATO are a permanent target of propaganda efforts calculated, among other things, to manipulate the image of West-Russia relations. The propaganda in Minsk and Moscow presents the Alliance as a hostile entity that threatens the interests of Belarus and Russia. These actions are aimed at, among other things, justification for the increased aggression of the Russian side. The border events are accompanied by aggressive information activities aimed at proving that Poland is responsible for creating the migration crisis, and that Polish border defenders pose a threat to the security of the entire region. Poland has been fingered as the principal “culprit”.

Examples of the regime’s Poland-oriented propaganda are ample, ranging from historical politics to Poland’s current foreign policy, to the role of Poles in Belarus, and recently also to the measures taken to protect the border of Poland and the EU.

Belarusian propaganda uses Polish deserter who fled to Belarus to authenticate absurd slanders against Poland. Deserter E. Czeczko’s latest “sensational” reports of alleged serious crimes committed at the PL-BY border are clearly more outrageous than any other smear campaign against Poland so far, but more such examples are likely to follow. Belarussian propaganda uses a testimony of a deserter who betrayed his own country while serving in the army and wearing a uniform.

RECENT BORDER INCIDENTS:

• From the beginning of the current year to February 7, the Polish Border Guard recorded 1097 attempts to cross the Belarusian-Polish border illegally. In the same period one year before there were no such attempts.
• 01.02.2022 – 9 foreigners attempted to illegally cross the border in the vicinity of Czeremcha (including 1 citizen of Kazakhstan). They were assisted by Belarusian soldiers, who threw stones at Polish patrols.
• 02.02.2022 – Polish Border Guards prevented 8 attempts to illegally cross the border. In the vicinity of Płaska, 3 nationals of Yemen crossed the border river Wołkuszanka between Belarusia and Poland. Additionally, 4 nationals of Sri Lanka and 1 citizen of Afghanistan were stopped. All foreigners got into Belarus by plane, directly from the Russian territory.
• 03.02.2022 – 22 foreigners (including nationals of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Turkey)  attempted to cross the Belarusian-Polish border illegally. Another provocation by Belarusian services took place in the border section protected by the Polish Border Guard Post in Czeremcha, where Belarusian soldiers threw stones at Polish patrols.
• 04.02.2022 – another group of 10 people (nationals of Yemen and Syria) attempted to forcibly cross the border in the vicinity of Czeremcha. The group was assisted by the Belarusian soldiers who threw stones at Polish patrols.
• 05.02.2022 – The Polish patrol stopped 1 national of Iraq and 1 national of Yemen who crossed the border illegally.
• 06.02.2022 – In the vicinity of Czeremcha a group of foreigners cut the concertina and went over to the Polish side. 5 citizens of Yemen were stopped. The foreigners came to Belarus from the Russian territory. Moreover, in the border section protected by the Polish Border Guard Post in Mielnik, groups of several people approached the border line, but seeing Polish patrols retreated into the Belarusian territory – 8 nationals of Iraq were stopped.
• 07.02.2022 – In the vicinity of Czeremcha and Mielnik, 8 nationals of Iraq, 3 Yemenis and 1 Egyptian attempted to cross the border illegally.

To follow up-to-date information on the situation on the Polish-Belarussian border, we encourage you to visit:

• the special website: https://www.gov.pl/web/border;
• a special English-language coverage of the migrant crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border, entitled "Focus on the Border",  lunched by the public broadcaster Radio Poland: https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/9610.

DIPLOMATIC ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY POLAND’s OFFICIALS:

The situation on the Polish-Belarussian border and the hybrid action against Poland has been the subject of the following actions:

• 7 February - Security and the issue of Western unity were the subject of talks between the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, in Brussels with high representatives of EU institutions, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, who said that they had addressed Russia’s build-up, and the Russia–China statement, which called on NATO to bar new members. “We must not return to spheres of influence where big powers tell others what they can & cannot do”.
• 7 February - UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to Polish Minister of Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak: “Poland is one of our oldest allies. We are meeting today to talk about unfolding crisis on Ukraine’s border with Russia caused by Russia. The UK will deploy an additional 350 troops of Royal Engineers to Poland to show our solidarity”
• 4 February - Polish FM Zbigniew Rau during his visit to Washington met with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The Ministers addressed issues of cooperation within NATO, Poland’s OSCE chairmanship and energy security. They also discussed the situation in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
• 2 February - Dep. FM Paweł Jabłoński spoke with his Spanish counterpart Angèles Moreno Bau. Among the topics discussed were negative implications of the deployment of Russian forces on Ukrainian border and in Belarus, priorities of Poland’s OSCE chairmanship and preparations for the NATO Summit in Madrid.
• 2 February - Dep. FM Paweł Jabłoński spoke with his Spanish counterpart Angèles Moreno Bau. Among the topics discussed were negative implications of the deployment of Russian forces on Ukrainian border and in Belarus, priorities of Poland’s OSCE chairmanship and preparations for the NATO Summit in Madrid.
• 1 February - The talks between Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki and Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal focused on support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's aggressive policy and economic cooperation.
• 1 February - Polish FM Zbigniew Rau talked with the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, NATO SG Jens Stoltenberg and the EU High Representative Josep Borrell. The topic of the call was the security situation in Europe, including the threats coming from Russia.

 

7 February 2022