““This year is much more difficult, the pressure on the border and the aggressiveness of groups specializing in attacking soldiers and officers is greater than ever,” said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of National Defense, at a press conference after a briefing with the staff and soldiers participating in Operation “Safe Podlasie”. The minister was a bit off, but that is understandable, because today’s coalition of December 13 noticed the seriousness of the situation only after taking power and at the height of the crisis on the border spoke about “poor people looking for their place on earth” and “children from Michałów”.
The Deputy Prime Minister assured that “Safe Podlasie” is a priority for the Polish Armed Forces.
Operation “Safe Podlasie” is taking place without disruption and the actions of the armed forces in connection with the flooding do not harm the operation
– Kosiniak-Kamysz noted and added that a total of 17,000 people were involved in the operation. soldiers, of whom about 5,300 are currently involved in direct action.
Increased pressure on the border
The head of the Ministry of Defense pointed out that the situation at the border was serious.
This pressure on the border has increased in recent weeks and days. After July, which was a quiet month, August, when the number of crossings was not so high, September brings an increase in the number of crossings. Until today [było] about 2.5 thousand attempts to cross the border
– said Kosiniak-Kamysz after a briefing with the staff and soldiers.
The minister pointed out that there have been 26,000 attempts to cross the border illegally since the beginning of the year.
This is the same amount as in the whole of 2023 and there are still more than three months left until the end of this year. This year is much more difficult, the pressure on the border and the aggressiveness of groups specialized in attacking soldiers and officers are greater than ever.
– said the politician.
Buffer zone
The Defense Minister stressed that the services arrest human traffickers, but also those who assist them.
Exactly 492 people (…) were arrested and detained, many of them placed in pre-trial detention
– said Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The minister judged that the decision to introduce a buffer zone had proven to be ‘very good’.
There is a great social acceptance because residents, I think, see its effectiveness
– he said.
Definitely “bigger than ever”?
It is difficult to say whether Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz was exaggerating when he spoke of the pressure on the border as “greater than ever” or whether he did not dig deeply enough into the statistics, but in the autumn and winter of 2021 there were many more. trying to cross it.
The peak of the migration crisis occurred in October [2021 r.]when a total of 17,447 such attempts were registered. The number of attempts to cross the state border with Belarus in violation of the regulations decreased significantly in November – 8,917, and in December – 1,740.
– the Border Guard says in a January 2022 report.
Perhaps the deputy prime minister also slept through the events in Kuźnica Białostocka in mid-November 2021, when the Belarusian services diverted the migrant camp to the closed Bruzgi-Kuźnica Białostocka border crossing. In the following days, there were attacks by migrants on officers of the Polish uniformed services.
It seems that the minister did not “oversleep”, because the opposition simply had a different opinion on this subject at that time than it does now, now that he is in power. From the politicians of KO, the current Third Way, especially Poland 2050, but especially from the left, we heard almost every day shouting about the “children of Michałów” and the “brutality” of the Polish services.
aja/X, strazgraniczna.pl
Source: wPolityce
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.