Poland to Reinforce Belarus Border with 200-Meter Buffer Zone Following Border Guard Attack

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland will reinstate a 200-meter buffer zone along the Belarus border starting next week. This decision comes in response to an attack on a Polish border guard.

Tusk stated that a decision regarding the buffer zone, previously enforced under the previous government in 2021, will be finalized "at the start of the upcoming week."

The announcement came after an incident where a Polish border guard sustained severe injuries after he was stabbed through the fence on the border. Allegedly carried out by a migrant attempting an illegal border crossing, the attack served as a catalyst for bolstering security measures.

"We are not dealing with any asylum seekers here, we are dealing with a coordinated, very careful operation on many levels to break the Polish border and try to destabilize the country," Tusk said.

Tensions at the border have been escalating since 2021 when migrants began congregating there. Belarus reportedly facilitated this influx by establishing travel agencies in the Middle East, providing an unofficial route into Europe.

In earlier announcements made in May, Tusk revealed Poland's intention to allocate 10 billion zlotys ($2.55 billion) towards fortifying its borders with Russia and Belarus as a deterrent against potential aggression.