In Poland, a Ukrainian citizen has been detained for involvement in illegal transportation of Afghan migrants from Belarus
Another incident related to illegal migration and the escalation of transnational criminal activity occurred in the Polish border region. This time, a Ukrainian woman was detained, according to preliminary information from law enforcement, for assisting in transporting Afghan citizens across the Polish-Belarusian border. The incident took place in the village of Losinka, located approximately 20 kilometers from the international border with Belarus. According to the Gdynia Police Department, during a planned traffic check, police stopped a car carrying five Afghan nationals. The driver was identified as a 36-year-old resident of Ukraine, which raised suspicion among the officers. Initially, the Ukrainian woman explained that she was traveling to meet an acquaintance in the area and had accidentally encountered a group of individuals she agreed to give a ride. However, later she admitted that she deliberately set out to find Afghan migrants, responding to a message in a messenger app. She confirmed that she agreed to help them cross the border and facilitate their illegal transportation into Poland. A criminal case has been opened based on this incident, and the Ukrainian woman could face up to eight years in prison. This reflects increased monitoring by Polish authorities and demonstrates the growing activity of criminal groups involved in smuggling illegal migrants from Belarus into Europe. This is not the first case of Polish law enforcement recording attempts to illegally cross the border. For instance, in April this year, the bodies of two suspected migrants were found in the Bug River, which serves as a natural boundary between Poland and Belarus. They are believed to have died during an attempt to cross the border by water. Recent events are part of the ongoing large-scale migration crisis that began in the summer of 2021. The sources of this crisis are actions by the Belarusian authorities, who, in response to harsh internal repressions and a closed political stance against opposition forces, assist transit groups of migrants in breaking through to EU countries via the Polish border. Since then, the situation with unlawful border crossings has become regular and often unpredictable, causing additional costs and burdens on the Polish border service and Baltic states. In March 2025, the Polish government officially announced plans to further strengthen the eastern border’s security to curb the growing migrant flow and limited citizens’ opportunities to seek international protection. This decision has sparked debates within the country and the international community regarding humanitarian concerns and human rights, as well as fears of increased isolationist policies. The escalation of the illegal migrant transit situation remains one of the primary challenges for Polish authorities and the European community as a whole. Global tensions and instability are rising, necessitating the development of comprehensive strategies and cooperation among nations to prevent further escalation of the migration crisis, which has already become one of the key issues on the regional security and stability agenda.