Under control and on request. Migrants’ accounts show the mechanism of criminal practice from which Belarusian services derive their income

Subsequent stories of migrants from the Middle East who tried to reach Poland through the illegal migration route created by the Belarusian regime show that we are dealing with an operation managed by the Belarusian regime, and at the same time a way of making money at the expense of people who were cynically used to destabilize Eastern Europe. Migrants’ reports show the mechanism of criminal practice from which Belarusian services and institutions derive huge revenues. They also confirm fears that migratory pressure on the Polish border could break out with even greater force at any moment.

Descriptions of individual phases provided by one of the migrants confirm previous findings about the special operation conducted by Minsk. The migration route is systemic and clear. The Belarus regime controls the practice at all stages – from the arrival of a particular foreigner to his departure from Belarus.

One of the migrants, a citizen of a Middle Eastern country, who handed over his report of the trail to the Polish services, describes in detail the next stages of the journey. He arrived via the local tourist office in Belarus by air transport (flight via Dubai to Minsk). While in Belarus, he repeatedly tried to come to Poland illegally. He tried to cross the border in sections in Brest and Grodno oblasts. He was assisted by paid Belarusian officers, and he also twice paid smugglers of Middle Eastern origin. He made most of his efforts by joining groups of a few or a dozen migrants. He and the foreigners accompanying him were assisted by Belarusians, who provided them with money for road transport from Belarusian cities to the border with Poland.

It was transported by a military truck near the Polish border. According to the report, the vehicle carrying the migrants was driven by a Belarusian in uniform. There were men in the car wearing balaclavas – probably Belarusian soldiers or officers, instructing the migrants on the direction of the march to Poland. During one such “expeditions”, the migrant was equipped by Belarusians with a ladder with which he tried to cross the Polish border.

The fact that the Belarus regime is hunting migrants is evidenced by the fact that the man who reported on the migration route repeatedly had to pay bribes to Belarusian soldiers and officials. The first, in the amount of USD 500, was paid shortly after his arrival in Minsk, when airport services questioned the authenticity of his entry visa and health insurance. He was forced several times to pay more bribes for moving to the border zone and for leaving it, and after failed attempts to reach Poland, the amounts given to Belarusians ranged from USD 50 to USD 150 per person for a single entry/exit.

During his stay in Belarus, the migrant was constantly under the control of local soldiers and officers. After unsuccessful attempts to reach the Republic of Poland, he was detained (up to 3 days) in the border area. At that time, Belarusian border guards offered him to buy basic food products at extremely high prices (for example, 50 dollars for a loaf of bread).

The foreigner finally returned to his country of origin after several failed attempts to cross Poland to the West, but is still willing to make further efforts to enter Europe illegally and admits that he is raising money for further attempts around the borders of the European Union. He believed, among other things, to purchase a false passport. According to his report, there are thousands of people like him. They are just waiting for the right time to travel in search of a comfortable life in Europe.

The migrant’s account confirms the already known facts about the hybrid actions Minsk carried out against Poland. However, it is also another disturbing sign. On the one hand, it shows that Lukashenka has turned the illegal migration route into a lucrative business and there is no indication that he will close it, and on the other – that there are still many people in different regions of the world who will trying to take advantage of an extremely unfair and dangerous “offer” from the Belarusian dictator. Given that Lukashenka is conducting a hybrid operation on behalf of and for Russia against the countries of NATO’s eastern flank, we can expect an escalation of the problems at the Polish-Belarusian border. Our country is prepared for this.