Tag Archives: Belarus

Poland said on Tuesday that groups of migrants had made new attempts to cross over the border from Belarus and it would be premature to say that the worst of the crisis on the European Union’s eastern frontier was over. Border Guard spokesperson Anna Michalska said about 50 migrants tried …

Poland accused Belarus on Sunday of continuing to ferry migrants to its border, despite clearing camps close to the frontier earlier this week, as Polish premier Mateusz Morawiecki toured Baltic states to seek support in the crisis. Europe accuses Belarus of flying in thousands of people from the Middle East …

The number of migrants trying to force their way into Poland from Belarus fell again on Friday after an apparent change in tack by Minsk that could help calm a crisis that has escalated into a major East-West confrontation. The Polish Border Guard said on Twitter that there were 195 …

Belarus authorities have cleared the two main migrant camps at the border with Poland, bringing the remaining migrants that had been camped in the woods to nearby warehouses, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported on Thursday. The move, if confirmed, could be a major development in the crisis at …

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs registered 170 migrants wishing to return from the Belarusian-Polish borders. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahaf said in a statement, “We have 170 people wishing to return voluntarily to Iraq and have given us 55 passports so far.” He indicated, “our diplomatic staff is now …

Polish security forces turned water cannon on migrants across the Belarusian border, where thousands have gathered in a chaotic attempt to reach the European Union, video footage shared by authorities showed on Tuesday. The crisis has led the EU to prepare further sanctions against Belarus, which it accuses of attempting …

The European Union agreed on Monday to step up sanctions against Belarus, which denounced as “absurd” Western accusations that it was driving a migrant crisis that has left thousands of people stranded in freezing forests on its borders with the EU. The Western bloc is seeking to stop what it …

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Western countries, rather than Belarus, were ultimately responsible for a migrant crisis on the Belarus-Poland border, pointing to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Russia is a key ally of Belarus, which the European Union has accused of mounting a “hybrid attack” by …

Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the suspension of direct flights between Iraq and Belarus and the temporary withdrawal of the work permit of the honorary Belarusian consul in Baghdad. Ahmed Al-Sahaf, the Ministry’s spokesperson, said to Al-Iraqiya News, “the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has temporarily withdrawn the work …

Belarusian and Russian paratroopers staged joint drills on Friday near the Polish and Lithuanian borders, during a standoff between Belarus and the EU over migrants camped in freezing forests at the frontier. The exercise at the Gozhsky training ground involved airborne units landing and carrying out combat training, including capturing …

Countries bordering Belarus on Thursday warned the migrant crisis on the European Union’s eastern borders could escalate into a military confrontation while Ukraine said it would deploy thousands more troops to reinforce its frontier. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia said Belarus posed serious threats to European security by deliberately escalating its …

Russia took the rare step of dispatching two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to patrol Belarusian airspace on Wednesday in a show of support to close ally Belarus at a time when it is locked in a migrant standoff with the European Union. Moscow’s decision to up the ante came as the …

The EU said Tuesday it is pressing more than a dozen countries to prevent their nationals leaving for Belarus on a perilous attempt to get into the bloc. The effort is part of Brussels’ reaction to what it says is an orchestrated campaign by Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko to destabilize …

German foreign ministry on Friday said talks with Iraq to stop migrants’ flights to Belarus were successful, adding that Jordan has also cancelled several charter flights. German authorities have registered 4,889 unauthorised arrivals with a connection to Belarus so far in October, which is more than half of all such …

France confirmed its ambassador to Belarus left the country on Oct 17, adding that the official in question – Nicolas de Lacoste – would now assume the role of special envoy in Belarus as of this Monday onwards. “France will keep on standing by the Belarus people and will look …

Russia used new combat robots and tactical vehicles on the second day of the active main phase of large military drills with its ex-Soviet ally Belarus, the defense ministry said on Saturday. The “Zapad-2021” war games, which will run until next Thursday on Russia and Belarus’s western flanks including sites …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday that she found it unacceptable that refugees were being used to apply pressure to Poland and other European Union members on the border with Belarus. Speaking at a news conference during what she said she expected to be her last official visit to Poland …

A court in Belarus on Monday sentenced key opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova — who led mass protests against President Alexander Lukashenko last year — to 11 years in prison on national security charges. Kolesnikova’s lawyer Maxim Znak was also handed a 10-year prison sentence, according to the press service of …

Poland declared a state of emergency in two regions bordering Belarus on Thursday following a surge of illegal migration that Warsaw has blamed on its neighbour. Poland and the European Union have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of encouraging hundreds of migrants to cross into Polish territory to put pressure …

An interfaith coalition called on Polish authorities Tuesday to give humanitarian aid to a group of migrants who have been stuck in the open air at Poland’s border with Belarus for more than three weeks. The coalition, which includes Christian, Jewish and Muslim representatives, noted that the people stuck at …