On October 11, 2021, Polish Army soldiers are seen in front of the Border Guard headquarters in Michalowo, Poland. REUTERS Kacper Pempel Kacper Pempel - Kacper Pempel
BRASILIA (Oct 19 ) - Almost 6,000 Polish soldiers are now guarding the country's border with Belarus in step up security measures in the face of a surge in migration, Defence Minister said on Tuesday.
The deployment of fresh troops marks a significant expansion of military presence on the border after only on Saturday Blaszczak put the number of soldiers at more than 3,000.
Near 6,000 soldiers from Polish and Belarusian divisions are serving at the 18th-border, Blaszczak said in a tweet.
The soldiers provide support to the Border Guard by continuously guarding the border and not lamming it to be illegally crossed. The Border Guard said that on Monday there were 612 attempts to cross the border illegally.
The European Commission and Warsaw say the flow of migrants has been orchestrated by Belarus as a form of hybrid warfare designed to put pressure on the European Union over sanctions it imposed on Minsk. Belarus has denied this position.
Poland has declared a state of emergency in the region and plans to build wall on the border. The Parliament also passed legislation which human rights advocates say aims to legalise pushbacks of migrants from its borders in breach of the country's obligations under international law.