Large group of migrants moving toward Polish border from Belarus

WARSAW/MINSK/VILNIUS. Nov 8 (Interfax) – Polish security services have reported a large group of migrants spotted on the Belarusian-Polish border.

"Very disturbing information from the border. A large group of migrants has gathered in Belarus, near the border with Poland. They have just moved towards the border of the Republic of Poland. They will try to enter Poland en masse," spokesperson for Poland’s security services Stanislaw Zaryn said on Twitter on Monday.

The group "is comprised of mostly young men," Zaryn said.

He also posted a video of a large group moving along a highway.

"It’s yet another example of the regime’s hostile activity targeted against Poland," Zaryn said.

For its part, the Belarusian State Border Committee said on Telegram that "a large group of refugees, carrying their belongings, is moving toward the Polish border along a highway."

"The Belarusian side is taking necessary measures to ensure the uninterrupted operation of interstate communication channels, as well as the security of people moving along the highway," the committee said.

The committee explained the situation with Poland’s conduct. "The indifference and inhumane attitude of the Polish authorities have caused this desperate move by refugees," it said.

Lithuania has also moved forces to counter the incoming group, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service said on Monday.

Service spokesperson Rustamas Liubajevas has estimated the number of illegal immigrants on the Belarusian-Polish border at 1,000 to 5,000, according to various sources. "They are gathering on the approaches to the Bruzgi (Belarus) – Kuznica (Poland) checkpoint. We received this information last weekend," Liubajevas said at a meeting of the Polish Sejm National Security and Defense Committee on Monday.

"We started preparing for possible scenarios over the weekend, and decisions will be made today. Meetings with the Staff of the Lithuanian Armed Forces are in progress, and we are planning to use the opportunity to deploy additional troops. Efforts have been coordinated with the police and the Public Security Service, and our forces are being moved," he said.

"We are preparing for all possible scenarios," Liubajevas said.

Poland and some other European countries have accused Belarus of creating chaos near the EU border by refusing to readmit migrants from the Middle East and Africa that try to enter the EU, but are denied admission. Poland has also refuses to admit such migrants, and many of them are stranded in the border zone. The situation has been ongoing for two months.

Poland has deployed thousands of troops, has built barbed wire fortifications, and has declared an emergency on the border with Belarus, and journalists and non-governmental organizations have been prohibited from visiting the border due to the emergency conditions.