By Joanna Plucinska and Andrius Sytas

WARSAW, Poland (Reuters). – In an attempt to gain entry to the European Union in fresh attempts, migrants stranded in Belarus threw branches and rocks at Polish border guards. They also used logs to cut down a razor wire fence that had been in place overnight, Warsaw officials said.

Wednesday’s EU accusation of Belarus was that it mounted a “hybrid assault” against the bloc, encouraging thousands of refugees from war-torn countries to seek asylum in Poland. The EU is also gearing up for new sanctions to Minsk.

Russia sent two bombers with nuclear capabilities to monitor Belarusian skies on Wednesday as a gesture of support. Belarus claimed that the planes conducted drills on Thursday for a second time.

According to the Kremlin, Russia has nothing to do about tensions at the border. It suggested that both sides had heavily armed individuals. This apparent reference to Polish and Belarusian border guards was cause for concern. According to the Kremlin, sanctions against Belarus are a “crazy notion”.

The migrants are trapped between two border crossings and have been forced to endure freezing temperatures in temporary camps. In the months-long crisis, Poland reported seven deaths of migrants and others expressed concern that they might die.

According to Ewelina Szczepanska, spokeswoman of the border guards, there were 468 illegal crossing attempts on Wednesday.

Lithuania, a neighboring EU country, reported that new attacks on the frontier were also made.

On Thursday, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania’s defence ministers jointly stated that they considered the situation “very alarming”, and condemned the deliberate escalation by the Belarusian regime of its hybrid attack, which poses serious threats to European security.”

Large groups of people have been gathered at the border and taken to the area where they will be forced to cross illegally. They said that this increases the risk of serious incidents and provocations, which could spill over to military domain.”

The group accuses Alexander Lukashenko, Belarusian President of inciting the migration crisis. This is in revenge for the previous sanctions imposed upon him by the Veteran Leader.

After a report suggesting that Russia’s flag carrier Aeroflot AFLT.MM could be subject to EU sanctions for its involvement in organizing mass migration of migrants from Belarus, Aeroflot AFLT.MM retracted Thursday’s shares.

Belarusian officials claimed that more than 2000 migrants crossed the border. Russia and Lukashenko blame the EU for the crisis of migrants and claim that the EU is not upholding its humanitarian values in preventing them from crossing.

In spring, large numbers of refugees fleeing poverty and conflicts in the Middle East and other parts began flying to Minsk. These people then take a taxi, bus, or car provided by human smugglers, to get to their destination, which is the EU member border with Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

Polish authorities claim that the number of flights to Belarus via the Middle East has increased significantly in the past months. In response, the Polish Prime Minister has called for the EU’s intervention to reduce the flow airlines transporting migrants to Minsk.

The majority of migrants book their travel packages through Middle East agencies which work in partnership with Belarusian firms. These usually include accommodation, visas and flights.

You can expect to pay around $14,000. The price of the entire journey varies and can reach up to about $14,000.