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Poland is currently building a kilometer-long fence on the border with Belarus
Photo: Kacper Pempel / REUTERS
Tensions are mounting on the border between Belarus and Poland.
According to the authorities in Belarus, a larger group of migrants is walking towards the border with the neighboring EU country Poland.
This is also shown by several videos published by the Polish Ministry of Defense, among others.
The photos show how hundreds of people carry their belongings.
The Polish authorities accused Belarus of creating a major confrontation.
"Belarus wants to cause a major incident, preferably with gunfire and casualties," Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk told Polish radio.
Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak tweeted that 12,000 soldiers were deployed at the border.
Poland is prepared to defend the border.
Lukashenko wants to put pressure on the EU
The Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who is patronized by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, has been allowing refugees with tourist visas to enter his country for months.
The Belarus route is the name of the route to the west that the regime has deliberately expanded.
This is seen as an attempt to split the European Union and take revenge for the EU's harsh sanctions.
The EU, the United States and the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on Belarus after Lukashenko forcibly suppressed mass protests following an apparently fraudulent election last year.
The state of emergency has been in effect in the Polish border municipalities with Belarus since September 2nd.
With an entry ban for human rights organizations and journalists, the Polish government wants to prevent those seeking protection from receiving assistance from the Polish side when crossing the border.
Ten people are said to have died at the border in the meantime, many activists believe the real number is higher.
The migrants are exposed to extreme conditions.
They suffer from the low temperatures and lack food, drink and medical care.
Human rights organizations accuse Poland's government of violating the international right to asylum by forcing migrants back to Belarus instead of accepting their requests for protection.
lau / Reuters / dpa