UK deploys troops to Poland as tensions rise over migrant crisis at Belarus border

Headlines 13:55 13 Nov, 2021

Thousands of people, many of them Kurds arriving from the Middle East, are camped in freezing conditions on the Belarus side of the border with Poland

UK deploys troops to Poland as tensions rise over migrant crisis at Belarus border

Britain has sent troops to Poland “to address the ongoing situation at the Belarus border”, with both Minsk and Moscow accused of deliberately stoking tensions in the EU by sparking a migrant crisis.

The Ministry of Defence said: “The UK and Poland have a long history of friendship and are Nato allies."

“A small team of UK armed forces personnel have deployed following an agreement with the Polish government to explore how we can provide engineering support to address the ongoing situation at the Belarus border.”

PA reported that the UK deployment is limited to providing engineering support.

The news comes amid rising tensions over an influx of migrants at the border between Poland and Belarus.

Thousands of people, many of them Kurds arriving from the Middle East, are camped in freezing conditions on the Belarus side of the border with Poland, hoping to cross into the EU.

Crowds have tried to cut or break through barbed wire fences but have been pushed back by Polish border guards and the army.

Overnight temperatures have fallen to freezing and at least seven people have died in recent weeks, many from hypothermia.

The EU accuses Belarus of creating the crisis by flying in the migrants and urging them to try to cross the border, in retaliation for EU sanctions imposed over his brutal crackdown of protesters and critics.

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko denies this.

The situation has sparked a respnse from Nato which said: “The North Atlantic Council strongly condemns the continued instrumentalisation of irregular migration artificially created by Belarus as part of hybrid actions targeted against Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia for political purposes.

“These callous actions endanger the lives of vulnerable people. Nato allies stand in solidarity with Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and other allied nations affected, and support measures, guided by fundamental values and applicable international law, taken by allies individually and collectively, in response to a situation that requires close coordination with key international partners.

“We will remain vigilant against the risk of further escalation and provocation by Belarus at its borders with Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, and will continue to monitor the implications for the security of the alliance.

“Nato allies call on Belarus to cease these actions, to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to abide by international law.”

Meanwhile, Russia accused the US of aggressive moves in the Black Sea and dismissed suggestions Moscow might be weighing an attack on Ukraine, calling such a claim inflammatory.

Its ministry of defence claimed it detected six flights by Nato spy planes in airspace over the Black Sea, part of what it described as intensifying reconnaissance by the Western military forces.

Russia’s military also said it was tracking US naval ships and accused Washington of studying the region as a potential theatre of war.

The US is concerned about Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border and has warned Moscow could be about to mount an attack.

Four European diplomats told Reuters that US officials had raised fears of an assault on Ukraine with EU allies at a briefing in Brussels, but declined to give further details on reasons or evidence.