Polish Border Guards Shoot in Air to Force Migrants Into Belarus, Minsk Says

MINSK (Sputnik) - The Polish border guard has tried to force migrants into Belarus by beating them with batons and firing warning shots into the air, the Belarusian State Border Committee said on Monday.

"On 8 October, a Belarusian border patrol heard shooting at one of the sections of the Polish-Belarusian border and arrived at the scene. A large group of refugees surrounded by Polish soldiers was on the Polish territory near the border. The foreigners cried and asked that the violence stop. In response to the refugees' legitimate requests for the right to protection, the Polish military shot in the air used batons against them and demanded that they proceed into Belarus", the committee said on Telegram.

Only the prompt arrival of the Belarusian border forces prevented the Polish side from squeezing the group into Belarus.

Last week, the Polish border patrol accused the Belarusian border patrol of firing blank cartridges toward the Polish side. Minsk disputed the claim and demanded clarification from Warsaw.

Lithuania, Latvia and Poland have accused Belarus of orchestrating a migrant crisis to get back at Brussels for sanctions against the government of Alexander Lukashenko. The president has denied the accusations, saying his cash-strapped country can no longer afford tight border controls.