Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszak blamed Minsk and Moscow for their migration problems at the country's border.
He wrote about this on Twitter.
“The problem on the Polish-Belarusian border is a dirty game between Lukashenka and the Kremlin.
Damage to the fence is also the result of the activities of the Belarusian special services, ”TASS quoted him as saying.
Problem na granicy 🇵🇱-🇧🇾 to brudna gra Łukaszenki i Kremla.
Uszkodzenie ogrodzenia to także efekt działaności 🇧🇾 służb, co widać na zdjęciach.
Poslowie opozycji i ich happeningi na granicy wpisują się w scenariusz Łukaszenki.
Nie bądźcie pożytecznymi idiotami, opamiętajcie się!
pic.twitter.com/CbLxZ8W9Zw
- Mariusz Błaszczak (@mblaszczak) August 21, 2021
Under his post, Blaschak posted photographs of the damaged fence, allegedly confirming the correctness of his words.
Earlier, on August 19, Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Marcin Pshidach in the evening program of the TVN24 channel accused the Belarusian authorities of provoking a migration crisis at the border, calling it a "political operation" of the Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.
According to the Polish minister, Minsk allegedly cynically uses illegal migrants as a human shield and "as an instrument of political pressure on Warsaw."
According to Pshidach, the attempt of illegal immigrants to cross the Polish border is a "provocation of the Belarusian services", and Warsaw expects changes in this policy of Belarus.
At the same time, former Polish Foreign Minister Witold Vaszczykowski also earlier made accusations against Moscow, in fact, accusing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of preparing the migration crisis.
Vaschikovsky came to such conclusions after the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry visited Kaliningrad on August 17, where he proposed resuming visa-free travel between the westernmost region of Russia and Poland.
In Lavrov's words, the ex-minister saw a hidden threat and decided that in this way Moscow allegedly wants to open access to refugees from Afghanistan and other countries through its enclave to the republic.
According to Vaschikovsky, with such a proposal "he (Lavrov -
RT
) wants to destabilize our part of Europe, where stability has been achieved in recent years thanks to the presence of American forces."
The Polish ex-minister said this on August 18 in an interview with the Internet publication wPolityce.
However, what is the connection between the resumption of simplified trips of Russians and Poles with Afghanistan, Vaschikovsky did not explain.
Migration confrontation
Let us recall that in addition to Warsaw, Vilnius also blames Minsk for the uncontrolled arrival of illegal migrants from Belarus.
On August 6, Poland and Lithuania called on the European Union to apply tougher measures against Belarus in connection with the migration crisis in the region allegedly provoked by Minsk.
This is stated in a joint statement by the Prime Ministers of Lithuania and Poland Ingrida Szimonyte and Mateusz Moravetski, the content of which was reported by the press service of the Lithuanian government.
The statement also noted that both countries firmly adhere to the position that a tough and decisive response is needed to the actions of the Belarusian authorities and everyone involved in organizing the transfer of illegal immigrants.
At the same time, the President of Belarus categorically denies all charges.
During a meeting with journalists and representatives of the public on August 9, Lukashenko demanded that neighboring countries put the relevant "facts on the table."
“Yes, we caught almost everyone.
In a year, as they (in the EU. -
RT
) say, 80 people have crossed this border.
Now during this time - about five thousand.
They do not know what to do with them ... So they are now making a noise, ”Lukashenka noted.
At the same time, the State Border Committee (CPC) of Belarus regularly reports that Poland and Lithuania are putting pressure on refugees and using physical violence against them.
On August 16, the department informed that several groups of migrants - citizens of India and Cuba - were found at the section of the Belarusian border outpost "Molodechnenskaya".
“All refugees have traces of severe beatings, abrasions and open bleeding wounds on their bodies.
According to foreigners, the Lithuanians treated them inhumanly, subjecting them to violence and torture, ”the press release of the CPC said.
Two days later, the State Border Committee reported that Polish law enforcement officers delivered a large group of migrants in several military vehicles to the Belarusian border and tried to force them out into the territory of Belarus.
“Refugees, most of whom are citizens of Afghanistan, openly declared to the representatives of the Polish side their intention to apply for asylum and refuse to cross the border into Belarus.
Also, as a sign of protest, the refugees organized a spontaneous camp on the territory of Poland, ”the Belarusian State Border Control said in a statement.
© State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus
On August 19, the Civil Procedure Code again stated that the Belarusian border guards had found four citizens of non-Slavic appearance, who were “forcibly pushed into the territory” of Belarus.
“The migrants explained that the Polish border guards brought them to the Polish-Belarusian border.
The foreigner with obvious signs of disability looked emaciated and complained of discomfort.
To provide emergency medical assistance, the border guards called doctors, ”the press release of the border service said.
The next day, the department reported that the Polish security forces "continue to hold the group of refugees", which they had earlier delivered to the Belarusian border.
“Representatives of public and other organizations arrived from the Polish side to provide assistance to the refugee camp.
The Polish media also tried to cover the situation.
However, all their requirements for admission to migrants were ignored.
Polish security forces rigidly block any attempts by journalists and representatives of public organizations to approach a group of refugees.
At the same time, emaciated people, asking for protection in Poland, still remain at the border, ”the message says.
"The essence of the accusations is absurd"
According to Nikolai Mezhevich, chief researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, if earlier Warsaw, together with its Lithuanian colleagues, attacked only Minsk on the topic of the migration crisis, now Poland has decided "to drag Moscow by the ears and the imaginary role of Moscow."
According to him, "the essence of the accusations by the Polish authorities is absurd, and the statements are unfounded and are not based on any facts."
“The head of the Polish Ministry of Defense is completely artificially bringing Russia here.
If the Russian side supports Minsk economically and politically, it means that it is to blame for the situation around migrants on the Polish-Belarusian border, and according to Vaszczykowski, it is also trying to provoke a migration crisis on its western border - such a sophisticated logic of the Polish authorities can only be envied ”, - he said in a conversation with RT.
As Mezhevich emphasized, due to accusations against Moscow, Warsaw wants to "hyip on the migration problem."
“Warsaw should resolve all issues in a dialogue with Minsk, but it refuses this and pours new groundless accusations, besides, for some reason, against Moscow.
By artificially adding such a large and powerful player as Russia to the migration history, Poland seeks to make Moscow responsible for what is happening on the border, ”the analyst said.
As HSE professor Dmitry Evstafiev explained in an interview with RT, accusing Moscow of its own migration problems, Warsaw believes that it is acting on the principle of raising rates.
“Through this, it wants to reinforce its status as the main US ally in Europe and the foremost force in the EU.
Whether it is absurd or not, nobody in Warsaw is interested in this circumstance, no one even thinks about the logic of these or those accusations.
It is important to break the propaganda jackpot here and now, as well as use it for your own purposes, ”the expert said.
In particular, fanning the scandal around the migration crisis and initiating a confrontation with Belarus, and now with Russia, Poland wants to receive bonuses from the European Union, Yevstafiev believes.
“For example, additional funding, money for the development of borders and other preferences.
In addition, Warsaw would like to arrogate to itself the right to be the main negotiator with Minsk from the EU, ”the analyst added.
© State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus
In turn, political analyst Alexander Asafov noted in a commentary on RT that by putting forward a new and "extremely untenable" accusation against Moscow, Poland once again proves that the Polish authorities are ready "at any convenient or inconvenient occasion" to blame Russia for all troubles.
“Warsaw traditionally makes Moscow guilty.
At the same time, who broke the fence on the Polish-Belarusian border is an open question, anyone could have done it.
But this situation is linked to Russia within the framework of standard Polish political rhetoric, which is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, ”the expert concluded.