A group of migrants stranded on the border between Belarus and Poland. /Reuters/Kacper Pempel
The Polish government is looking to spend more than $400m to build a wall on the border with Belarus as tensions intensify.
Poland and fellow EU countries Lithuania and Latvia have reported a surge in attempted border crossings since the beginning of summer – accusing Belarus of flying migrants in from Iraq and Afghanistan and deliberately pushing them toward the borders.
Warsaw and Brussels have described the situation as hybrid warfare designed to put pressure on the bloc because of sanctions against Minsk. Last month Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko blamed the situation on Poland and its relationship with the U.S., calling people becoming trapped on the border a humanitarian catastrophe.
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The wall would cost around $404m and be equipped with motion sensors and cameras. An explanation of the bill posted on the Polish parliament website explained pressure has not eased, despite a 180 kilometer barbed wire fence being constructed over the past few months.
"Despite the fact that the Polish-Belarusian section of the state border has been set up with barbed wire and a concertina-type wire fence, the number of attempts to cross the border is not decreasing, but is growing," it said.
Polish authorities say around 8,000 attempted border crossings have been recorded in the last two months. It comes as German police reported an upsurge in the number of migrants illegally entering the country after first crossing into the EU from Belarus to Poland.
Part of a fence built by Polish soldiers along Poland's border with Belarus. /Reuters/ Kacper Pempel
Germany is considered the most popular destination for migrants. Federal police said on Wednesday that more than 4,300 people had attempted to enter Germany following the Poland-Belarus route since August. Only 26 registered crossings were recorded from January to July.
Poland's permanent representative to the union has reportedly informed EU ambassadors again of growing pressure on the border, as well as an increase in provocation from the Belarusian side.
Andrzej Sados told his EU counterparts that there has been constant growth in the number of attempted illegal crossings. He said most attempts had been foiled due to the resources the Polish government has in the area.
The Polish border has been under a state of emergency since the beginning of September, and the emergency measures were recently extended for a further 60 days. The measures prevent media or aid workers from entering areas within three kilometers of the border.