Poland’s prime minister has expressed support for the country’s border troops after they were reportedly fired on from Belarus.
A spokeswoman for the Polish Border Guards said Belarusian forces fired shots at Poland’s troops across the eastern border on Thursday.
Anna Michalska stated no one was hurt and that blank ammunition was most probably used.
Poland’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Belarus’ charge d’affaires over the latter on Friday.
PM Mateusz Morawiecki said on Twitter that “all state powers” were with the border guards and the military protecting the border.
“I am and I always will be firmly with our soldiers and our Border Guards,” Morawiecki said.
“I want to thank our services for their professional and responsible approach,” he added.
Michalska stated that Polish border guards were under increasing pressure and stress due to a growing number of incidents of objects being thrown from the Belarus side.
EU member states Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia are guarding their borders against the pressure of migrants from the Middle East and Africa.
Brussels says that illegal migration is being organised and encouraged by the Belarusian government of President Alexander Lukashenko.
The EU accuses Lukashenko of carrying out a “hybrid war” in retaliation against Western sanctions on his authoritarian government in Minsk.
In Belarus, State Border Guard Committee spokesperson Anton Bychkovsky has rejected the claim that shots were fired.
