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Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that Poland is starting work on further strengthening the entire eastern border, as the country faces what he called a growing “hybrid war” in illegal migration from Belarus. This announcement was made during his visit to the border area, where he also met with soldiers and guards actively monitoring the situation.

Tusk did not specify the exact measures to be implemented or the funding details but emphasized the importance of security, stating, “The Polish-Belarusian border is a unique place due to the pressure of illegal immigration. In fact, we are dealing with a progressing hybrid war.” He argued that Belarus, with increasingly aggressive intentions towards Poland, appears to be complicit in facilitating the migration issues at the border.

Tusk added, “It is not only Poland’s internal border but also the EU border. Therefore, I have no doubt that all of Europe will have to … invest in its security by investing in Poland’s eastern border and in the security of our border.”

This comes as the migration crisis has been an ongoing issue, with the previous government and the European Union accusing Belarus in 2021 of deliberately sending migrants to the EU border in response to sanctions. Despite Belarus’s denial of these accusations, the Polish border guard reports about 300 illegal crossing attempts each day, influenced by varying weather conditions.

Relations between Poland and Belarus have worsened due to the war in Ukraine. The previous administration constructed a substantial border fence over 110 miles long and equipped with surveillance cameras and sensors.