Latest news with #PolishBorderGuard
OC Media
18-07-2025
- Politics
- OC Media
Poland deports 27 Georgians over threats to ‘public safety' and ‘security'
Sign in or or Become a member to unlock the audio version of this article Join the voices Aliyev wants to silence. For over eight years, OC Media has worked with fearless journalists from Azerbaijan — some of whom now face decades behind bars — to bring you the stories the regime is afraid will get out. Help us fuel Aliyev's fears — become an OC Media member today Become a member Poland has deported 27 Georgians from the country, citing concerns over 'public safety' and 'security', the Polish Border Guard said on Tuesday. One of those deported had 12 prior theft convictions, while the others had committed various offences in Poland, including drunk driving and illegally overstaying. 'Among the foreigners were also facilitators and co-organisers of illegal border-crossing activities for other foreigners, as well as individuals who changed their personal information to enter Poland', the Polish Border Guard said, but it did not specify which nationality the organisers were. In addition to the 27 Georgians deported, 13 Moldovans were also expelled. The issue of Georgian criminals in Poland has in recent months become a hot topic politically. In addition, Poland has been one of the more outspoken critics of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the EU, causing increased friction between the two countries. In June, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, 'we are building the necessary majority to limit or suspend visa-free travel with Georgia'. During the same press conference, Tusk said his government was carrying out daily deportations of criminals from the country. Advertisement 'The latest deportation of criminals from Georgia — four days ago 50 Georgians suspected of criminal activities were deported', he said.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland refuses entry to 24 people from Germany in new border checks
Polish border guards have refused entry to 24 people in the first week of checks at the border with Germany, according to Polish news agency PAP. Konrad Szwed, a spokesman for the Polish Border Guard, said on Monday that 67,000 people and more than 28,500 vehicles were checked at the German-Polish border between July 7-13. The Polish centre-left government ordered random checks at the borders with Germany and Lithuania a week ago as a way to crack down on irregular migration. The move was also seen as a response to similar German measures that have been in place since October 2023. On the Lithuanian side, some 40,000 people and 19,500 vehicles were checked in the first week, the spokesman said. There, 15 people were denied entry and 19 migrants were turned back to Lithuania in accordance with a repatriation agreement. Eight suspected people smugglers were detained. Out of 65 border crossings to Germany and Lithuania in total, 16 now have permanent border checks, while other border posts are subject to partial controls. The new Polish border checks have not yet had any major impact in Lithuania, according to the authorities there. "There have been no problems for travellers due to the Polish checks," said a spokesman for the Lithuanian border guard. German authorities reported long tailbacks on the German side of the border on Thursday, and fear heavy traffic later this month as summer holidays start.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poland-Belarus border crossings to remain closed, Polish official says
There is no "possibility" that Poland will reopen its border checkpoints with Belarus, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said on April 19. On April 5, the Polish Border Guard and Polish media reported that the migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border is escalating with "increasing brutality." Belarus and Russia have repeatedly coordinated the arrival of migrants seeking asylum at the EU's eastern border. Siemoniak noted that Poland would like to open the border with Belarus, but said that the border will remain closed as long as Belarus threatens Poland's border security. "As long as Belarus behaves this way towards (Poland), I do not see any possibility that anything will change in this area. We would like... for these crossings to be open, for them to function normally," Siemoniak . The Polish official condemned Belarus for sending migrants to Poland's border and denounced Belarus's provocations towards Polish border guards. "(O)n the Belarusian side, we are dealing with the use of migrants, high-profile situations, recently, a uniformed officer threw stones at our border guards, at our cars," he said. Siemoniak emphasized the need for Poland to protect its border as a member of eastern flank and noted the responsibility Warsaw holds to protect the Schengen zone's external borders. "This is not only the border of Poland — it is the border of the , the Schengen zone, and NATO," he said. The onset of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022 soured relations between Belarus and Western nations due to Minsk's complacency in Russia's war. All of Poland's border checkpoints with Belarus, but one, have been to passenger traffic. Poland reported a surge of asylum seekers on its border with Belarus on April 5. "Tonight there were a lot of attempts to cross the , probably about 300, all thwarted," Polish Defense Minister Vladyslav Kosinyak-Kamysh said on April 5. "It is aimed at attacking Poland, not at trying to find shelter. To cross the border illegally is breaking the law," he added. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Moscow violates 'Easter truce,' Ukraine brings home 277 POWs in swap with Russia We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Euronews
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Two bodies believed to be migrants retrieved from river on Poland-Belarus border
ADVERTISEMENT Two bodies have been retrieved by authorities from the Bug River on Poland's border with Belarus. They are believed to be migrant men who had attempted to cross the border into Poland. Investigators are conducting an autopsy to determine the identities and cause of death of the bodies, which were significantly decomposed when they were found, according to Katarzyna Gągolińska of the Biała Podlaska police. The Polish Border Guard says that almost 300 attempts have been made to cross the Polish-Belarusian border in the Lublin province since the start of this year. Dariusz Sienicki, captain of the Bug River Border Guard Unit, says there is an upward trend compared with a year earlier. In 2024, approximately 530 reportedly tried to cross the border illegally, the Border Guard said. In the last 24 hours, the Border Guard rescued 13 people from the Bug River in another town in Lublin province. They were citizens of Afghanistan, Syria and Pakistan, Sienicki said. Polish Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Maciej Duszczyk alleged that the bodies "were people who were pushed into the water by the Belarusian services" in mid-March. He claimed that this is a tactic used as provocation by Belarus. Members of a group of some 30 migrants seeking asylum in Bialowieza, Poland, on Sunday, 28 May 2023. AP Photo/Agnieszka Sadowska Warsaw has accused its neighbour Belarus of luring asylum seekers from countries in Africa and the Middle East and pushing them towards the Polish border to sow chaos and destabilise Poland. Authorities say it is a retaliation from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko for EU-imposed sanctions. They say he gives orders in cooperation with Russian President Vladimir Putin to punish the EU over its support for Ukraine. At the end of March, Poland temporarily suspended the right of migrants arriving via its border with Belarus to apply for asylum. That legislation was widely criticised by human rights groups , which fear it may worsen a current humanitarian crisis. The border area is notorious for its dangerous terrain and harsh conditions, including exposure to freezing winter temperatures and inadequate access to food, shelter and aid. Paired with physical barriers imposed by the Polish government, the forest has become a trap for people travelling to the border, often resulting in a significant number of injuries, disappearances and fatalities.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Increasing brutality' reported as Poland-Belarus border crisis escalates
The migrant crisis on the Poland-Belarus border is escalating with "increasing brutality," the Polish Border Guard and Polish media reported on April 5. Tensions between Poland, a NATO country, and Russian ally Belarus have surged following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Warsaw has also for several years accused Belarus of deliberately pushing migrants into Poland in order to pressure the EU over sanctions, a charge Belarus has denied. Hundreds of illegal migrants, mainly from Sudan and Afghanistan, attempted to enter Poland illegally overnight on April 5, Polsat News reported, citing Polish Defense Minister Vladyslav Kosinyak-Kamysh. "Tonight there were a lot of attempts to cross the border, probably about 300, all thwarted," Kosinyak-Kamysh said in a statement to Polsat News. "It is aimed at attacking Poland, not at trying to find shelter. To cross the border illegally is breaking the law," he added. While describing the situation on the border, Kosinyak-Kamysh said "the brutality is increasing," as those crossing the border were throwing stones and branches, and using angle grinders to cut the barrier. Belarus, led by dictator Alexander Lukashenko, has also provided extensive support to Moscow's war in Ukraine and the Belarusian army regularly conducts military drills along its border with Poland and other EU countries. Elsewhere in central Europe, the Latvian army has started digging an anti-tank ditch as part of the joint Baltic defense line along the country's borders with Russia and Belarus, the Latvian public broadcaster LSM reported on May 2, 2024. Meanwhile, on the Polish-German border, Polish border guards detained two Ukrainians helping migrants from Sudan and Afghanistan to cross the Poland-German border, the Polish Border Guard reported on April 4. Since the beginning of the migration crisis in 2021, at least 740 Ukrainians assisting migrants to leave Poland have been detained. Read also: As Russia refuses to accept ceasefire, will Trump pressure Moscow? We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
