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Poland reinforces border troops and is ready for migrant influx — interior minister

The Polish government plans to hold an emergency meeting of the crisis headquarters later in the day to discuss the situation at the border with Belarus

WARSAW, November 8. /TASS/. Poland has reinforced its forces protecting the border with Belarus and is prepared for an influx of illegal migrants from that country, Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Monday. 

"We have been monitoring the situation in Kuznicy for several days and are ready for any scenarios. Strict protection of the border is our priority. We have increased the number of border guards, policemen, and soldiers. We are all-round ready," he wrote on his Twitter account.

Poland’s Territorial Defense Force has been put on alert to help the border guards and the army. Three brigades have been mobilized in the country’s eastern areas.

The Polish government plans to hold an emergency meeting of the crisis headquarters later in the day to discuss the situation at the border with Belarus.

Earlier in the day, Belarus’ State Border Committee said that around 1,000 refugees are moving across the country toward the border with Poland. The Polish side described the situation as an attempt at mass crossing the border by force.

More than 30,000 migrants have tried to cross the Polish-Belarusian border since the beginning of 2021. Warsaw has imposed a state of emergency in regions bordering Belarus. It regularly reinforces border troops. Now there are up to 10,000 of them. Apart from that, the Polish side has built a barbed wire fence to be later replaced by a solid 5-meter tall wall equipped with sensors and other tools.