The construction of a fence on Poland’s border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad is a sign for Russia, the head of the National Security Bureau (BBN) has said.
Last Wednesday, Poland started building a 2.5-metre high and 3-metre deep fence amid concerns that Russia might begin to channel migrants across the border. The temporary barrier should be ready within a month, according to the Polish officials.
“It is a sign for the Russian Federation that Poland has its eyes in this direction and understands the risks which could be posed by the use of migrants as hostages in a hybrid attack,” Jacek Siewiera said on Tuesday.
According to Siewiera, there has been a surge in illegal migration on the border between Poland and Belarus. “A clear increase has been visible,” he said.
Speaking about new air connections between the Kaliningrad enclave and Middle East and African countries, Siewiera said that these moves should be seen as “a predictor” of events which had taken place before Belarus used civilian migrants in its 2021 hybrid aggression.
Last year, Poland experienced heightened migratory pressure at its border with Belarus with thousands of migrants trying to get into the country. Warsaw blamed the crisis on the Belarusian government, saying it was flying in Middle Eastern and African migrants on the false promise of easy access to the EU.
In early October, a 186-km barrier consisting of a five-metre steel fence topped with razor wire was completed on Poland’s border with Belarus.