Conflict between EU and Belarus develops to the stage of armed confrontation
The State Border Committee of Belarus said that Polish soldiers used combat weapons against migrants, shooting over refugees' heads, BELTA news agency said.
There are more than 2,000 refugees on the Belarusian-Polish border now. They have been living there for three days already, sleeping on the ground. They need food, water and medicines.
"All of them do not consider Belarus as a host country. They openly declare their intention to go to EU countries to apply for protection,” representatives for the State Border Committee of Belarus said.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Poland and Lithuania of their unwillingness to solve refugee problems. According to Lavrov, the countries only want to measure the level of their toughness, TASS reports.
Poland and Lithuania accused Russia and Belarus of the crisis on the border between the European Union and Belarus. At the same time, neither Vilnius nor Warsaw turned to Moscow for help, Lavrov said.
"They, in my opinion, do not turn to anyone at all, but simply marvel their own toughness, making thunderous statements, accusing Belarus, and at the same time Russia,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.
According to EU officials, it is Belarus that bears prime responsibility for the refugee crisis on the border in the first place. The countries of the European Union are ready to introduce new sanctions against about 30 individuals and legal entities of Belarus. This list may include Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makei and Belarusian airline Belavia.
According to Kremlin's official representative Dmitry Peskov, the EU is trying to strangle Belarus with its new sanctions.
Earlier, the Acting Foreign Minister of Germany, Heiko Maas, announced EU's readiness to tighten sanctions against the Belarusian authorities due to the crisis with migrants on the border with Poland.
"Such decisions will only make the situation more complicated. This is nothing more than an attempt to strangle Belarus,” Peskov commented on the possible closure of the Polish-Belarusian border.
Migrants break through the border
Two large groups of migrants broke through the border of Belarus and Poland, according to the Polish radio Bialystok. All of the migrants were subsequently detained.
Two large groups of migrants entered Poland from Belarus. At least several dozens of people broke through the fence in the area of Krynok and Bialowieza, the radio station said.
In Poland, a Russian citizen was detained on suspicion of aiding illegal migrants who break into the country from Belarus, RIA Novosti reports.
"For complicity in illegal migration, three people were detained (a citizen of Russia, a citizen of Sweden and a citizen of Lithuania),” the Polish Border Guard Service said.
Over the past day, about 600 attempts have been recorded to illegally cross the Belarusian-Polish border. The Polish authorities said that they detained everyone who managed to break through.
