After thousands of "weaponized" migrants massed on the border with Belarus and neighboring EU countries in 2021, Poland is moving ahead with a controversial barrier.
Steel Curtain: Poland Begins Work On Belarus Border Wall
- By RFE/RL
1
Workers begin construction on a border wall along the Polish-Belarus border in Tolcze, northeastern Poland, on January 27.
2
Contractors work on the border wall foundations on January 27. The barrier is projected to cost around $390 million and will run along a 186-kilometer stretch of the boundary between Poland and Belarus -- around half the total border length.
3
A photo taken in November 2021 shows migrants along the edge of Belarusian territory, with Polish servicemen massed on the EU side in the foreground.
Scenes like this came after thousands of mostly Middle Eastern migrants were allegedly lured to Belarus, then ferried toward the borders with EU countries. The 2021 migrant crisis came after EU sanctions were imposed against Belarus in the wake of postelection violence and the seizure of a Ryanair passenger jet by the regime of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
Scenes like this came after thousands of mostly Middle Eastern migrants were allegedly lured to Belarus, then ferried toward the borders with EU countries. The 2021 migrant crisis came after EU sanctions were imposed against Belarus in the wake of postelection violence and the seizure of a Ryanair passenger jet by the regime of President Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
4
Reinforcing cages for the border wall photographed on January 27, when a press tour to the border area was organized by the Polish authorities. The wall will measure up to 5 1/2 meters high and be equipped with thermal-imaging cameras and motion sensors.
5
Polish border guards and soldiers watch over the construction of the border wall in Tolcze in northeastern Poland on January 27.
6
A herd of bison graze near the border-wall construction on January 27. Critics of the wall project say it will be a "disaster" for wildlife, which may be restricted in movement.
7
A Polish soldier stands behind a clear shield at the border construction site on January 27.
A border guard spokeswoman told local media that the "intention is for the damage to be as small as possible" and noted that the wall was being erected along the same areas where temporary razor wire is already in place.
A border guard spokeswoman told local media that the "intention is for the damage to be as small as possible" and noted that the wall was being erected along the same areas where temporary razor wire is already in place.
8
A Polish soldier patrols the Polish-Belarusian border on January 25 along razor wire that will be replaced by the border wall. More than a dozen migrants and two Polish border guards reportedly died during the 2021 Belarus-EU border crisis.
9
A Polish border guard near vehicle-mounted speakers announcing in five languages that crossing the border is illegal, during a press tour near Szudzialowo on January 25. Around one-third of Poland's border with Belarus is demarcated by the 70-meter-wide Bug River.
10
A cross erected near the Polish-Belarusian border near Szudzialowo on January 25.
The Poland-Belarus border wall is scheduled to be completed by June 2022.
The Poland-Belarus border wall is scheduled to be completed by June 2022.
