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DW
05-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Fleeing, injured, and forgotten in Poland's border forest – DW – 07/05/2025
For four years now, Poland has taken drastic measures to stop refugees from entering the EU across its border with Belarus. The humanitarian consequences are dire. DW spent a day with the activists who try to help them. Aleksandra Chrzanowska stops for a moment, checks her location on her cell phone, then marches straight into the forest, following no signpost or path. She walks confidently, despite the marshy, uneven ground. The Bialowieza National Park is Europe's last remaining primeval forest. Since 2021, Chrzanowska, a member of the Warsaw-based human rights organization Association for Legal Intervention, has spent almost every day in the forest on the Polish-Belarusian border. That was when Belarus started to encourage people from third countries to cross into Poland, as a way of exerting pressure on the EU. Poland responded by erecting a border fence and sending people back to Belarus. Since then, the situation at the border has deteriorated into a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Chrzanowska points to a map on her phone. It is dotted with colored markers. Each represents an "intervention," as the activists from the network Grupa Granica call their humanitarian activities in the forest along the border with Belarus. Usually, this means bringing hot soup, water, clothes, shoes, and power banks for the refugees. In many instances, they also provide medical assistance, and they get support from a doctor if the case is serious. Since the five-meter-high border fence was erected along the border with Belarus, there has been a sharp increase in injuries like broken bones, and deep cuts from barbed wire. "The fence doesn't stop people," Chrzanowska says. "They have no choice. Their lives are in danger in their homelands." Last year, Grupa Granica received around 5,600 emergency calls. They were able to intervene in response to about 1,400, helping some 3,400 people. The stranded migrants came from countries like Syria, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, and Afghanistan. The same year, the Polish border police recorded around 30,000 attempts to cross the border illegally. That number continues to increase: Frontex reported that in 2024 the number of people taking the so-called eastern migration route through Belarus went up by around 200%. Today, Aleksandra Chrzanowska is on her way to a designated spot to collect items left behind after an earlier intervention. Grupa Granica can sometimes reuse them, but the important thing is that they don't want any litter left in this unique nature reserve. Chrzanowska dons disposable gloves, picks up a thermos, a torn jacket, and a child's shoe, and puts them in a rubbish bag. Her phone rings. The base camp is calling. Reception is poor: Chrzanowska curses, but she's got the gist. Two Afghan men have just sent a text to the international emergency number, asking for help. "We have to hurry," she says. Suddenly she's like a different person. She grabs the rubbish bag, and as we stride toward the base camp, she listens to voice messages giving details of the upcoming intervention. One of the men has deep cuts, the messages say. The Afghan refugees have also asked for dry clothes and shoes, as they're soaked to the skin. They've sent a photo of the wound, which will be forwarded to a doctor for consultation. Meanwhile, at the base camp, other volunteers are packing the things the men need into big rucksacks. A short time later, Chrzanowska and another activist set off along a path, before plunging off into the depths of the forest, for reasons of security. They meet up with the refugees at the marked location they sent them earlier. Chrzanowska reports that the men were well hidden; it took them a while to find them. The men, in their mid-20s, speak no English. The activists use translation apps on their phones, typing in questions that the app translates into Pashtu. How long have they been in the forest? The men type in: a few weeks, three days on the Polish side. It's their third attempt; they've been pushed back twice before. This means that the Polish border guards have already caught them twice, and sent them back to Belarus, even though the men are seeking asylum. On March 27 this year, Poland suspended the right to apply for asylum at the Belarusian border. The men haven't eaten or drunk anything for several days. They gratefully accept the chickpea soup, sweet tea, and drinking water the activists have brought them. While they fortify themselves, Chrzanowska exchanges text messages with the doctor. The wound on the man's foot is deeper than it looked on the photo. The doctor sends Chrzanowska instructions for cleaning and treating the cut. The man types into the phone that he got the injury jumping from the border fence. The migrants were accompanied to the border by armed Belarusian soldiers, who were very aggressive, and hit them, he writes. The soldiers propped a ladder against the five-meter-high steel barrier, and forced the Afghans to jump down on the other side. "Normally, we would call an ambulance, to get the wound properly treated," says Chrzanowska. But since the suspension of asylum procedures, this is too risky, because "then border guards come as well. And that means there's a very high risk that the refugees will be sent back to Belarus again, regardless of the injury." The intervention lasts about half an hour. Chrzanowska tries to clean the wound as best she can. When she gets back from the intervention, she reports that the man was lying on the forest floor, very weak and in a lot of pain. "I was worried that he might not even be able to walk anymore," she says. Once he had eaten and drunk something, though, he soon stabilized. For Aleksandra Chrzanowska, this moment is always very moving. "At first, the refugees are very frightened. Once they're in dry clothes, and have had some hot tea or soup, you see them become human again." Some then even insist on sharing the food with her. The Grupa Granica network consists of several local NGOs and aid initiatives, and is supported by hundreds of volunteers, along with a small number of full-time helpers. Other than Doctors Without Borders, no international NGOs are active at the border between Poland and Belarus — unlike at other external EU borders. The Polish government disapproves of the work the activists are doing, and criminalizes the provision of support to migrants. Right now, five activists are on trial in the eastern Polish town of Hajnowka for helping an Iraqi Kurdish family with seven children who were hiding in the forest. They sare accused of "facilitating the stay" of illegal immigrants for "personal benefit." Aleksandra Chrzanowska is not intimidated. "Helping people is legal," she says curtly. Just a few hours later, they receive another emergency call. A group of four Afghans is asking for help. One reports that he has broken his leg jumping from the border fence. This time, a doctor will go with them.
Hindustan Times
14-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Digging Deeper: Fedlan Kılıçaslan on the Evolution of Endurance at Akif Capital
'Looking is not the same as seeing. Just as knowing is not the same as understanding.' These words from Fedlan Kılıçaslan, Chairman of Akif Capital, echo through the corridors of the Warsaw-based investment firm. In a financial world obsessed with speed and spectacle, Akif Capital's story is a quiet, radical counterpoint—a reflection of the value of patience, pattern recognition, and the refusal to chase the crowd. Akif Capital's journey began in a moment of global uncertainty. The firm was born not from the ashes of crisis, but from a recognition that the world's economic environment was growing more volatile, interconnected, and data-saturated by the day. Kılıçaslan and his team saw that the old playbook—reacting to headlines, chasing quarterly returns, and treating risk as something to be avoided—was no longer enough. Instead, Akif Capital chose a different path. Rather than seeking quick wins, the firm built its foundation on long-term thinking. The leadership believed that the most powerful strategy in finance was not speed but sustainability. This meant learning to spot patterns before they became consensus, connecting dots across sectors and geographies, and anticipating not just what the market would allow but what society would demand. 'Pattern recognition allows our teams to proactively position capital where it can do the most good—economically and socially—before the market catches on,' Kılıçaslan explained in a recent interview. This strategy has allowed Akif Capital to move early into emerging sectors like clean energy and artificial intelligence infrastructure, not simply because these areas promise future returns but because they represent inevitable shifts in the global economy. Akif Capital's defining trait is its focus on systems thinking. In a time when every investment decision can trigger second- and third-order effects, the firm has made it a priority to understand the interconnectedness of everything from regulatory pressures to supply chain ethics. This holistic view has enabled Akif Capital to see opportunities and risks that others miss. Recent cross-border projects have blended technology innovation with energy transition goals, creating what Kılıçaslan calls 'ecosystems, not just investments.' The firm's leadership spends as much time studying governance and public discourse as they do balance sheets, understanding that scaling responsibly means anticipating not just market forces but also the expectations of regulators, communities, and stakeholders. 'Gone are the days when you could evaluate an investment in isolation,' Kılıçaslan noted. 'Every decision today has ripple effects across the real economy and society.' This perspective has led Akif Capital to champion diversification—not just across asset classes, but across perspectives, geographies, and leadership backgrounds. Flexibility is often romanticized in today's business climate, but Akif Capital has learned that agility without structure is chaos. The firm has developed a culture of structured problem-solving, training its teams to handle complexity systematically. This ensures that decisions are not just fast, but repeatable, teachable, and measurable. Akif Capital's leadership is deeply aware that vision is not just a statement; it is a daily effort. Every strategic move is aligned with the firm's long-term goals, and success is measured not only in financial returns but also in the impact on economies, industries, and people's lives over time. 'Setting a long-term vision is easy,' Kılıçaslan says. 'Aligning daily decisions with that vision is the real challenge.' This philosophy has led Akif Capital to invest in projects that create jobs, support infrastructure, and advance inclusion, making impactful investment a core part of its operating model. Unlike many of its peers, Akif Capital does not treat risk as the enemy. Instead, the firm sees risk as the necessary engine of return. The key, in its view, is not to avoid uncertainty but to control it intelligently. Every decision is run through multiple lenses—financial, operational, geopolitical—giving the firm the confidence to act when others hesitate. This multidimensional risk management method has allowed Akif Capital to empower bold, visionary investments while protecting its downside. The firm's expansion into new markets, from Eastern Europe to the Gulf, is not just about hedging against volatility. It is about enriching the company's institutional intelligence and inoculating it against the dangers of monoculture thinking. Akif Capital's focus on impact is not an afterthought; it is a pillar of the firm's identity. The leadership believes that the next generation of investors and consumers demands that capital does more than compound—it must contribute. For Akif Capital, impactful investing means measuring success in how investments create jobs, support infrastructure, advance inclusion, and reduce harm. Whether backing fintech in underserved markets or renewable energy platforms, Akif Capital's dual goal is always value and values. The firm's leadership has made it clear that impact without return is philanthropy, but return without impact is obsolete. Perhaps the most radical aspect of Akif Capital's strategy is its focus on human capital. The firm invests heavily in its teams, prioritizing education, mentorship, and internal mobility. For Kılıçaslan, the vision is generational—he thinks in terms of legacy, not just quarters. Akif Capital's story is not one of disruption for its own sake, but of construction—of building something that can withstand the storms of market cycles, political shifts, and changing social expectations. The firm's blueprint is not about being the biggest, but about being the most durable, the most thoughtful, and the most prepared. In a world where headlines are consumed in seconds and stock prices fluctuate with every tweet, Akif Capital's insistence on depth over speed, on understanding over reaction, is a quiet change. The firm's leaders know that the tallest towers require the deepest foundations, and that the work of digging is often noisy, messy, and misunderstood. 'The market often mistakes the sound of construction for chaos,' Kılıçaslan reflects. 'But real investors know—the deeper the dig, the stronger the rise.' Akif Capital's journey reminds us that true resilience is forged not in easy times but in the willingness to endure, adapt, and build for a future that may look very different from the present. In the end, it is not the speed of the ascent but the strength of the foundation that determines which institutions will stand the test of time. Note to readers: This article is part of HT's paid consumer connect initiative and is independently created by the brand. HT assumes no editorial responsibility for the content, including its accuracy, completeness, or any errors or omissions. Readers are advised to verify all information independently. Want to get your story featured as above? click here!
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Irregular migrant crossings into EU drop 20% in 2025: Frontex
The number of irregular migrant crossings into the European Union dropped by 20 percent in the first five months of the year, the EU's border agency said Wednesday. Warsaw-based Frontex said that a total of 63,700 crossings were detected this year, adding that the main nationalities were Afghan, Bangladeshi and Malian. The biggest decreases in irregular crossings were seen in the Western Balkans (minus 56 percent), the western African route (minus 35 percent) and the eastern Mediterranean (minus 30 percent). Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Don't Forget To Block Ads Before Wednesday Lifestyle Tech Tips Click Here Undo There was also a seven percent decrease in migrant crossings from Belarus into Poland and the Baltics to 5,062 crossings, Frontex said. But it pointed to a slight increase of seven percent in the number of migrants crossing the central Mediterranean towards Italy. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Frontex also said that the number of migrants attempting to cross into Britain via the Channel increased by 17 percent to 25,540 compared to the first five months of 2024. "Smuggling networks operating in the area are adapting, using simultaneous departures to increase the number of successful crossings," it said. Live Events RECOMMENDED STORIES FOR YOU Italy votes on citizenship reforms that could open doors for immigrants UK's visa crackdown leaves city of London immigrants in limbo Irregular migration has become a political flashpoint across Europe, as seen most recently in the Polish presidential election on June 1 which was won by a nationalist promising to crack down on immigration. Irregular border crossings detected into the European Union were down 38 percent to 239,000 last year after an almost 10-year peak in 2023, according to EU border agency Frontex. But, led by hawks including Italy and Denmark, EU leaders called in October for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up returns and for the commission to assess "innovative" ways to counter irregular migration.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Irregular migrant crossings into EU drop 20% in 2025:Frontex
Representative AI image The number of irregular migrant crossings into the European Union dropped by 20 percent in the first five months of the year, the EU's border agency said Wednesday. Warsaw-based Frontex said that a total of 63,700 crossings were detected this year, adding that the main nationalities were Afghan, Bangladeshi and Malian. The biggest decreases in irregular crossings were seen in the Western Balkans (minus 56 percent), the western African route (minus 35 percent) and the eastern Mediterranean (minus 30 percent). There was also a seven percent decrease in migrant crossings from Belarus into Poland and the Baltics to 5,062 crossings, Frontex said. But it pointed to a slight increase of seven percent in the number of migrants crossing the central Mediterranean towards Italy. Frontex also said that the number of migrants attempting to cross into Britain via the Channel increased by 17 percent to 25,540 compared to the first five months of 2024. "Smuggling networks operating in the area are adapting, using simultaneous departures to increase the number of successful crossings," it said. Irregular migration has become a political flashpoint across Europe, as seen most recently in the Polish presidential election on June 1 which was won by a nationalist promising to crack down on immigration. Irregular border crossings detected into the European Union were down 38 percent to 239,000 last year after an almost 10-year peak in 2023, according to EU border agency Frontex. But, led by hawks including Italy and Denmark, EU leaders called in October for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up returns and for the commission to assess "innovative" ways to counter irregular migration.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Irregular migrant crossings into EU drop 20% in 2025: Frontex
WARSAW: The number of irregular migrant crossings into the European Union dropped by 20 percent in the first five months of the year, the EU's border agency said Wednesday. Warsaw-based Frontex said that a total of 63,700 crossings were detected this year, adding that the main nationalities were Afghan, Bangladeshi and Malian. The biggest decreases in irregular crossings were seen in the Western Balkans (minus 56 percent), the western African route (minus 35 percent) and the eastern Mediterranean (minus 30 percent). There was also a seven percent decrease in migrant crossings from Belarus into Poland and the Baltics to 5,062 crossings, Frontex said. But it pointed to a slight increase of seven percent in the number of migrants crossing the central Mediterranean towards Italy. Frontex also said that the number of migrants attempting to cross into Britain via the Channel increased by 17 percent to 25,540 compared to the first five months of 2024. 'Smuggling networks operating in the area are adapting, using simultaneous departures to increase the number of successful crossings,' it said. Irregular migration has become a political flashpoint across Europe, as seen most recently in the Polish presidential election on June 1 which was won by a nationalist promising to crack down on immigration. Irregular border crossings detected into the European Union were down 38 percent to 239,000 last year after an almost 10-year peak in 2023, according to EU border agency Frontex. But, led by hawks including Italy and Denmark, EU leaders called in October for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up returns and for the commission to assess 'innovative' ways to counter irregular migration.
