Almost all foreigners detained while illegally crossing the Belarusian-Polish border hold recently issued Russian visas

Foreigners who are detained while trying to illegally cross the Belarusian-Polish border mostly have recently issued Russian visas.

The Polish press outlet RMF 24 writes about this.

"This means that Russia is the main destination for foreigners to get to Belarus," said Konrad Szwed from the Polish Border Guard Headquarters.

This may be due to the cancellation of some direct flights, in particular from the Middle East to Minsk.

Szwed added that citizens of India and Pakistan are increasingly appearing at the border.

According to the Podlaskie Border Guard Department, more than 1,500 attempts to illegally cross the border were recorded in October. 

Almost 22,000 such attempts have been recorded since the beginning of 2023.