A Polish border guard was stabbed near the Belarusian border on Tuesday, allegedly by a migrant from the Belarusian side. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to “defend the border with all available means.”
The incident occurred on May 28 when the guard was attacked with a makeshift spear, consisting of a knife attached to a stick. Reports from ABC News, Euroactiv, and various Polish media outlets indicate that the assailant reached through the 5-meter high metal wall separating Poland and Belarus and stabbed the guard in the ribs. The injured officer is currently in critical condition.
Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Tusk took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to express his support for the border guards, highlighting the risks they face. He assured that the wounded soldier is receiving appropriate care and announced the deployment of additional forces to the border. Tusk reiterated his commitment to border security, stating, “We will defend our border with all available means. The army, border guard, and police can count on my full support.”
Following his visit to the border area, Tusk declared plans to establish a new emergency buffer zone around the border, extending approximately 200 meters. This move echoes a similar measure taken in 2021, where a larger buffer zone restricted access for humanitarian groups, the press, and the public.
The incident has sparked a strong reaction in Poland. Some commentators, including former MEP Janusz Korwin-Mikke, have called for extreme measures, such as shooting asylum seekers attempting to cross the border.
Bartek Rumienczyk, a media officer for the Polish border monitoring coalition Grupa Granica, voiced concerns about the new buffer zone. He argued that such measures hinder humanitarian aid delivery and proper monitoring of border activities, potentially leading to human rights violations. Humanitarian groups emphasize the importance of their presence to ensure border guards adhere to legal and humanitarian standards.
This stabbing comes amidst a rise in migrant crossings into Poland and the EU, partly attributed to the warmer weather. Grupa Granica has been receiving “hundreds of calls” weekly from migrants seeking help in the border region. Despite not having official figures for May, Rumienczyk noted an increase in crossing attempts and official returns in April, anticipating a continued trend.
In April alone, over 2,000 pushbacks were registered, compared to 1,700 from December to March. These figures do not account for unregistered pushbacks, suggesting the actual numbers could be much higher. Rumienczyk fears that the border situation is reverting to the emergency state of 2021, which significantly restricted access for humanitarian aid and monitoring.
Prime Minister Tusk is set to announce a substantial increase in funding to bolster the country’s eastern border with Belarus and the northern border with the Russian enclave Kaliningrad. The “Eastern Shield” package, worth approximately 2.3 billion euros, aims to limit the mobility of potential aggressors.
Tusk and other politicians have previously linked migrants to hybrid warfare by Russia and its allies. In 2021, Tusk claimed that many illegal border crossers had Russian visas, suggesting state involvement in their movement. However, activists, including Katarzyna Czarnota from the Helsinki Foundation, dispute these claims, noting an increase in women, children, and unaccompanied minors attempting to cross into Europe.
Activists like Kluczewska from the Voluntary Humanitarian Service POPH report worsening conditions at the border. They regularly assist unaccompanied minors in applying for asylum and document pushbacks involving migrants, some of whom are ill. Recently, volunteers filmed alleged pushbacks, showing migrants being dragged through border gates by Polish military officers. While InfoMigrants could not independently verify the footage, the Polish border guard has not yet commented on these allegations.