Migrants and border crossings along the Poland-Belarus boundary
Polish border authorities say Belarusian services continue to be involved in groups attempting to cross into Poland, with new recordings showing migrants using pontoons to cross the Świsłocz River. The footage has drawn attention to the persistence of this migration activity and the ongoing tension at the border.
Last Friday afternoon, border guards detained 15 individuals near Krynki in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. The group, consisting of twelve Afghan nationals and three Syrians, had used a pontoon to navigate the Świsłocz River as they tried to enter Polish territory.
Migrants with a pontoon, Belarusian border guards in the background
On Saturday, the Border Guard shared a short video on social media showing the moment just after crossing the border. The clip depicts migrants with a pontoon in the foreground, while in the background there are vehicles associated with uniformed services and a Belarusian border guard image can be perceived in the scene, illustrating the perceived involvement of Belarusian authorities in the crossings.
The Border Guard noted in its accompanying post that Belarusian services continuously direct individuals toward the border, mark crossing points, and provide tools to bypass security barriers, such as cutting through concertina wire. This description highlights concerns about coordinated efforts to facilitate illegal crossings.
The migration wave continues
Over recent days, attempts to cross border rivers illegally have become more frequent. In addition to the 15 people detained near Krynki on Friday, four individuals from Yemen and Syria crossed the Świsłocz by dinghy near Bobrowniki on the preceding Thursday. Earlier in the week, two people near Płaska attempted to cross the Augustów Canal by pontoon but retreated into Belarus after spotting Polish patrols. On Monday, fourteen people, including Syrians and a Yemeni, swam across the Świsłocz and were detained in the area overseen by the Krynki border guard sector. The prior Sunday saw several people from Comoros, Syria, Nigeria, and Pakistan crossing the same river near Bobrowniki and Krynki.
Since March began, authorities have registered more than 800 attempts to illegally cross from Belarus into Poland across various routes, not limited to river crossings. In February, roughly 1,500 such attempts were recorded, with over 1,400 in January. These figures reflect a sustained movement and show how border control and migration patterns remain a key national security issue for Poland and its neighbors.
In early March, Stanisław Żaryn, Poland’s government plenipotentiary for the security of the information space, warned that the migration route facilitated by Russia and Belarus appears to be expanding again. The Border Guard’s latest footage serves as additional evidence that migrants continue to be guided toward the border. Analysts and officials have called for measured responses and clear communication to avoid escalating tensions at the frontier.
Source attributions: coverage from wPolityce and related Polish security press materials. The material is presented here with attribution to the original reporting to provide context for ongoing border security discussions, without directing readers to external sources beyond these citations.
Overall, authorities emphasize the need for vigilance and coordinated action to manage irregular migration while ensuring border integrity and safety for those involved on both sides of the border.