TORONTO -- A crisis at the Poland-Belarus border has seen tensions ramp up over the past week, with thousands of migrants stranded and facing increasingly militant behaviour from Polish security forces attempting to prevent them from entering the country.
The European Union has accused Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko of using the migrants and refugees as retaliation for sanctions slapped down after the August 2020 election that awarded him an unprecedented sixth term.
The results of the election have been disputed by the opposition and many Western nations, leading to months of massive protests across Belarus and the flight of opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya into exile after a brutal crackdown by police.
More than 35,000 people were arrested and thousands were beaten, according to The Associated Press.
In June, sanctions were laid against Lukashenko by the U.S., the U.K., Canada and the EU after a May incident that saw a passenger jet diverted from Belarus to Minsk so Belarussian authorities could arrest journalist Raman Pratasevich.
Asset freezes and travel bans were imposed on 78 officials and eight 鈥渆ntities鈥� linked to the security crackdown and the diversion of the Ryanair plane.
In response, Lukashenko announced that he would no longer abide by an agreement to stem illegal migration, saying the sanctions deprived his government of resources needed to contain migrants flowing across Europe on their way west.
Migrants and refugees have been arriving in Belarus and heading to the border with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
In response, Polish security forces have stepped up their presence at the razor-wire fence separating the countries, deploying 15,000 soldiers, border guards and riot police and using chemical spray to deter the crowd of estimated 3,000 to 4,000 migrants who have set up makeshift camps.
Lithuania declared a state of emergency to deal with the influx of migrants and to strengthen their presence at the border, setting up tent camps to assist with the overflow.
More than eight deaths have been confirmed at the Belarus-Poland border, with Polish police announcing Saturday they had found the body of a young Syrian man in the woods near the Belarus border. With the onset of winter, with temperatures in the makeshift camps are falling below freezing at night.
The situation shows no signs of ending or de-escalating any time soon.
Belarusian state news agency Belta reported that Lukashenko on Saturday ordered the military to set up tents at the border where food and other humanitarian aid can be gathered and distributed to the migrants.
Russia, Belarus鈥� ally, has been instrumental in propping up Lukashenko and his government with political support and loans. Russian military forces have been patrolling the skies over Belarus and taking part in war games in Belarus as a show of support.
As a result of the increased tensions, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Maraweicki said Sunday that Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are considering asking NATO to hold emergency talks under Article 4 of the NATO treaty which allows any ally to request consultations if it feels its territorial integrity, political independence or security is threatened.
