Poland is strengthening its border with Belarus to deter illegal migration

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s defense minister says his country is strengthening the metal barrier along its border with Belarus to deter illegal migration. Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said the increased presence of Polish and allied military forces in regions close to the border is also helping to tighten the eastern frontier of NATO and the European Union. That presence has been increased since Russia’s aggression in Ukraine in 2022. Poland says a massive wave of illegal migration from Belarus, especially in 2022, was orchestrated by that country and by Russia to destabilize Poland, a Ukrainian ally, and the entire EU. It was largely curbed by the metal barrier, which was completed last year.