Joanna Plucinska & Matthias Williams

KYIV (Reuters). Polish authorities accuse Belarus of trying provoke a major confrontation Monday. They claim they have mobilised more soldiers after footage posted on social media revealed hundreds of migrants heading towards the Polish border.

A video of migrants in winter clothing and carrying rucksacks was shared on the Belarusian blogger service NEXTA. They were seen crossing the highway side-by-side.

Another video showed large numbers of migrants seated by the road, being led by men in khaki by armoured men.

According to Polish media, the Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wärzyk stated that Belarus wanted to create a serious incident with at least shots being fired and some casualties.

According to the European Union, Belarus has been accused of encouraging migrants from Africa and Middle East into EU countries by allowing them through Belarus as hybrid warfare. It is a retaliation for Western sanctions placed on Minsk in relation to human rights abuses.

Lithuania, an EU neighbor, said it was adding more troops to the border to help prepare for possible migrant surges. The government of Lithuania may declare a state emergency, following the lead of Poland.

The defence minister of Poland said that Poland had more than 12,000 soldiers at its border. He also shared aerial footage showing migrants clustered along the Belarusian side. Latvia which borders Belarus called the situation alarming.

Sviatlana Sikhanouskaya, exiled Belarusian leader, called for strong responses from the EU/UN.

“Belarus’ regime escalates the border crisis – migrants are pushed to EU border by armed men,” she tweeted. “The migrant smuggling, violence & ill-treatment must stop.”

MIGRANT CRISIS

Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian president has denied creating a crisis of migrants and blamed the West for their treatment.

A Belarusian state committee border confirmed the movement of refugees towards Poland and stated that Warsaw had an “inhumane attitude”.

After Lukashenko’s violent crackdown against mass protests in the wake of a dispute election, Britain, USA and EU imposed sanctions upon Belarus.

Lukashenko defied calls from the opposition to resign and was supported by Russia’s diplomatic and financial support. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said Monday that Minsk handled the issue of migrant workers well and was legally taking every step necessary.

According to charities, migrants are often forced to travel across the border from Belarus because of freezing temperatures and lack of medical care.

Polish officials claimed that seven migrants were found dead at the Polish border. There are reports of additional deaths in Belarus.

Humanitarian groups claim that Poland’s ruling nationists are violating the international refugee rights by allowing migrants to flee into Belarus, instead of accepting protection applications. Poland claims its actions are legal.

Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland’s prime minister, stated on Facebook (NASDAQ 🙂 “The Polish border is more than a line drawn on a map. This border is holy – Polish blood has been shed!”.