The incident occurred near the eastern Polish village of Białowieża at around 5:30 a.m. when migrants threw stones at police officers who had been summoned by the Border Guard.
"The officers were inside their vehicles when stones were thrown from the Belarusian side," said Tomasz Krupa, a spokesman for local police. "One car had its doors damaged, and another suffered roof damaged. Fortunately, no one was hurt this time."
Rising violence at the border
This latest incident is part of a troubling trend of increasing aggression at the border. Last week, in the village of Dubicze Cerkiewne, a soldier was attacked with a knife by migrants and remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition. The military is appealing for blood donations to support the injured soldier.
In another incident on Monday, a Border Guard officer was hospitalized with head injuries after being hit by a tree branch wielded by a migrant. His life is not in danger, according to reports.
Enhanced security measures announced
In response to the escalating violence, the Polish government has announced increased security measures at the border, including the deployment of riot police and enhanced training for Border Guard and military personnel to handle aggressive mobs.
A special buffer zone along the border with Belarus has also been announced, initially set to be created on June 4, but its introduction has been delayed due to consultations with local governments.
Meanwhile, statistics from the Border Guard reveal a significant rise in attempts to illegally cross the border from Belarus into Poland.
In May, there were around 7,500 attempts, compared to 3,400 in April. Since the start of this year alone, nearly 17,000 such attempts have been recorded.
(jh/gs)
Source: IAR