Polish soldiers fire over 1,600 rounds to deter migrants at Belarus border

Since the start of 2024, Polish army soldiers have discharged more than 1,600 rounds of live ammunition into the air as a deterrent against migrants attempting to cross illegally from Belarus into Poland.

The information was disclosed by the Polish Defense Ministry, with the exact count of live rounds reported as 1,609, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

So far this year, 63 Polish soldiers have been injured on the border with Belarus while attempting to prevent illegal crossings by migrants, the defence ministry has revealed.

Poland has been dealing with a renewed surge of crossings by migrants and asylum seekers – mainly from the Middle East, Asia and Africa – encouraged and assisted by the Belarusian authorities. In one case, a Polish soldier died after being stabbed while preventing a crossing.

However, attempted crossings have recently fallen following tougher measures introduced by the Polish government. Last week, the cabinet approved a proposed new migration policy that would allow the partial and temporary suspension of the right to claim asylum in Poland in response to the crisis on the border.

By Vafa Guliyeva