Belarus invasion by proxy?

[kenneal - lagger]

According to this article Belarus is herding a large group of refugees/migrants towards the Polish border. These are people who they have taken money from to transport them to Belarus and have guaranteed them access to the EU. Lukashenko would seem to be people smuggling or human trafficking.

[adam2]

Later report here, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59206685

[adam2]

Still ongoing, and getting worse.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59237413

It certainly looks like a plan by Belarus to destabilise/upset the EU. I suspect that ultimately the migrants will get into Poland. Barbed fences are not in fact very effective against large and determined crowds who will eventually make an opening with a vehicle, or explosives, or other means, through which hundreds or thousands will pour.

Remember that the original Berlin "wall" was in fact barbed wire. Escapes were very frequent, hence the building of an actual wall, which was largely effective.

[kenneal - lagger]

The Berlin wall and the rest of the German border was guarded by only a few thousand troops spread across the whole length. This border has thousands of troops/police in an area where there are hundreds of migrants so the situation is a bit different. There may, of course, be a smaller number of people crossing elsewhere while the guards are distracted.

[adam2]

And of course the Berlin wall guards, could, and regularly did shoot to kill. Killing escapees was considered as a good thing as it deterred others. The Polish guards are presumably ordered to minimise the killing of unarmed unarmed migrants.