EU faces down fresh crisis at its borders, as officials accuse Belarus of weaponizing migrant surge

The European Union is facing another crisis at its borders as thousands of migrants gather at the border between Belarus and Poland — with officials accusing Belarus of manufacturing a migrant surge to weaponize against the bloc — and fears that Russia may be behind the brewing tensions.

Poland estimates there are approximately 4,000 migrants, predominantly from the Middle East gathered at the border with Belarus. It has declared a state of emergency and sent troops to the border in response. Migrants are also gathered at the Belarusian borders with Latvia and Lithuania, where camps have been set up to hold the migrants coming in increasing numbers as temperatures begin to drop.

European officials have accused Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko of creating the migrant crisis, funneling migrants to the border in retaliation for sanctions imposed on his government after a crackdown on dissent and a stolen 2020 election victory.