Belarus–Poland border

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For the current dispute at the border, see 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis.
Belarusian–Polish border
Belarus-Poland border (en).png
  Border crossings
  Simplified crossing points
Characteristics
Entities Belarus
 Poland
Length398.6 km (248 mi),[1] 418 km (260 mi) or 416 km (258 mi)
History
EstablishedDecember 1991
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Current shape2011
Treaty
Belarusian and Polish boundary markers
Border crossing in Białowieża Forest
Borders of Poland, with the Polish-Belarusian border marked in orange
Belarusian Border Guards patrolling the border fence

The Belarusian-Polish border is the state border between the Republic of Poland (EU member) and the Republic of Belarus (Union State). It has a total length of 398.6 km (247.7 mi),[2] 418 km (260 mi)[3] or 416 km (258 mi)[4] (sources vary). It starts from the triple junction of the borders with Lithuania in the north and stretches to the triple junction borders with Ukraine to the south. It is also part of the EU border with Belarus. The border runs along the administrative borders of two Voivodships Podlaskie and Lubelskie in the Polish side and Grodno and Brest Vobłasć in the Belarusian side. In the Polish side, the 246.93 km (153.44 mi) section is under the protection of the , while the 171.31 km (106.45 mi) section is in the operation area of the . Border rivers (from north to south) are Czarna Hańcza, , Świsłocz, Narew, and Bug.

History[]

Further information: Western Belarus

After the Soviet invasion of Poland in September 1939, the area of West Belarus was annexed into the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. Five new Voblasts were created: Baranavichy, Belostok, Brest, Pinsk, and Vialejka.

In accordance with the Border Agreement between Poland and the USSR of 16 August 1945, 17 districts of Belastok Voblast of the BSSR including the city of Białystok and 3 districts of Brest Voblast, where a significant number of Poles lived, were transferred to Poland.

Following the 1944 agreement on population exchange between Poland and Soviet Belarus, on November 25, 1945, an additional agreement was signed in Warsaw by representatives of the government of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Government of the National Unity of the Republic of Poland on the registration and evacuation of the Belarusian population from the territory of Poland to the BSSR and Polish population from the BSSR to the territory of Poland. Announcements on registration and extension of the evacuation until June 1946 were posted in Białystok and within the Voivodship.[5]

In 1946, during the refinement of the state border between the USSR and Poland in the Belarusian-Polish section, Krynek, which was entirely granted to Poland, had a point that separated the border section under Sub-Committee V from the activities of Sub-Committee VI. Further, the border ran through areas which Poland lost due to the Soviet dictate, because they were located on the west side of the Curzon Line. This shift was around 12 km in the vicinity of Odelsk, 15 km in the area, 20 km in , and 15 km in the area of the Augustów Canal. Polish negotiators during the delimitation procedure realized that they were helpless in the face of these imposed arrangements and were only trying to introduce minor verifications for Poland. Among other things, near Odelsk, within the borders of Poland was the village of the villages of Klimówka, Minkowce, Nomiki, , Tołcze, Szymaki of the Hrodna District and the villages of and Chworosciany of the were transferred to the Polish People's Republic. Zubrzyca Wielka and Zubrzyca Mała were also recovered, but most of the agricultural lands belonging to these villages remained on Belarusian side of the border.

More to the north, in the area of the village of the border was moved 700-800m to the east, which also allowed the villages of Tołcze, Szymaki and Klimówka to be part of Poland. In the Gmina Kuźnica, the border line was moved 200-300m to the east and at this place the border was cut across the tracks of the Białystok-Grodno railway line.

In August 1948, the TASS agency announced a communication on the completion of delimitation of the border. However, the local authorities determined the final shape of the border and belonging of individual villages or their fragments for more than a year and a half. On the basis of documentation of the Belarusian side, officially announced on July 8, 1950, the Polish side obtained 30 villages as part of exchange and border corrections, while the Belarusian side obtained 12 villages. Also, many villages have been divided. Thereafter, and until now, the border between Poland and Belarus has never changed.

2021 dispute[]

Main article: 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis
See also: Fall of Kabul (2021) § Aftermath, and European migrant crisis

In August 2021, a wave of illegal immigrants started fleeing through Belarus to Poland. Belarus was accused of hybrid warfare by orchestrating and supporting illegal crossing of the border in forest areas.[6][7][8][9] Poland has recently reinforced the border with 1,000 men and is planning to build a border fence due to a massive influx of immigrants.[10][11] Over 2000 immigrants tried to illegally cross the Belarus border and 800 were successful, landing in state-run centres issued to aid them, many of which have been waiting near the border for more than a week.[12][13] Poland's prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated that Poland must protect its borders and the people crossing the Polish—Belarussian border are being used by Lukashenko.[14]

On 25 August 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) summoned Poland and Latvia to provide the migrants "food, water, clothing, adequate medical care and, if possible, temporary shelter", according to a statement from the court. "The measure will apply for a period of three weeks from today until 15 September 2021 inclusive", with the ECHR judge citing the European Convention on Human Rights, while stating that neither country was ordered to allow the migrants through the border.[15]

On 24 November 2021, the Human Rights Watch reported that thousand of people were stuck at the border of Belarus and Poland in circumstances that violated human rights and put their lives at risk. Polish officials pushed back those who try to cross while Belarusian officials beat and detained those who return. People have spent days or weeks in the open on the border, without shelter or access to basic humanitarian services, including food and water, resulting in deaths.[16]

Border crossings[]

Title Type of transition
1 Brest - Terespol Train
2 Hrodna - Kuźnica Białostocka Train
3 Wysokie Litewskie - Czeremcha Train
4 Śvislač - Siemianówka Train
5 - Bobrowniki road
6 Brest - Terespol road
7 Bruzgi - Kuźnica road
8 Damachava - Sławatycze road
9 - Kukuryki road
10 Piasčatka- Połowce road
11 - Rudawka simplified crossing point
12 Pierarova - Białowieża simplified crossing point

References[]

  1. ^ Rocznik Statystyczny Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej 2019. Warszawa: Główny Urząd Statystyczny, 2019, s. 80. ISSN 1506-0632.
  2. ^ "Государственный пограничный комитет Республики Беларусь". Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
  3. ^ "WARUNKI NATURALNE I OCHRONA ŚRODOWISKA (ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION)". MAŁY ROCZNIK STATYSTYCZNY POLSKI 2013 (CONCISE STATISTICAL YEARBOOK OF POLAND 2013). Mały Rocznik Statystyczny (in Polish and English). GŁÓWNY URZĄD STATYSTYCZNY. 2013. p. 26. ISSN 1640-3630.
  4. ^ (in Polish) Informacje o Polsce - informacje ogólne Archived 2009-06-25 at the Wayback Machine. Page gives Polish PWN Encyklopedia as reference.
  5. ^ Delimitacja polskiej granicy wschodniej 1944-1950
  6. ^ "Poland bolsters border with Belarus to stop migrants". euronews.com. Euronews. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  7. ^ Fincher, Christina (21 August 2021). "EU neighbours jointly rebuke Belarus for illegal migrant surge". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Lithuania says Belarus officers illegally pushed migrants over border". bbc.com. BBC. 19 August 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  9. ^ Moskwa, Wojciech; Seputyte, Milda (6 August 2021). "Migrants Find New Path to EU as Lithuania Plugs Belarus Border". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  10. ^ Pempel, Kacper (23 August 2021). "Poland to build fence, double troop numbers on Belarus border". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Poland to build Belarus border fence after migrant influx". bbc.com. BBC. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  12. ^ Ciobanu, Claudia (16 August 2021). "Fate of migrants at Belarus-EU border risks taking darker turn". balkaninsight.com. Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  13. ^ Gera, Vanessa (23 August 2021). "Poland plans fence on Belarus border, offers aid to migrants". apnews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Lawyers call for international protection of Afghans on Poland-Belarus border". apnews.com. The First News. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
  15. ^ Anon. (26 August 2021). "Court tells Poland, Latvia to aid migrants on Belarus border". DW. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  16. ^ ""Die Here or Go to Poland"". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 24 November 2021.

Further reading[]

External links[]

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