Polish soldiers have deployed water cannons on the border with Belarus against migrants who try to make the crossing to the European Union via Belarus.
According to the Polish Ministry of Defense, the migrants threw stones at Polish border guards, whereupon they deployed water cannons to prevent the migrants from crossing.
There has been unrest on the border between Poland and Belarus for weeks, and the situation is deteriorating. Thousands of migrants are trapped in the cold and under appalling conditions. The Polish police fear an escalation of the situation.
EU countries say Belarusian President Lukashenko is using the migrants as a “hybrid weapon of war” because of sanctions imposed against his regime. Yesterday the EU decided to impose additional sanctions on Belarus for smuggling people.
Images of the use of the water cannons on the border with Belarus:
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