In 2024, approximately 600 people were criminally prosecuted in Poland for assisting illegal migrants, nearly half of them are Ukrainian citizens.
That is according to the Polish Border Guard in response to a Ukrinform inquiry.
“Since the beginning of 2021 (the start of the so-called migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border), over 4,000 people have been detained across Poland on suspicion of organizing and facilitating illegal migration. Among them, more than 1,500 are Ukrainian citizens. In 2024 alone, nearly 600 individuals faced criminal charges for organizing and aiding illegal migration, including 280 Ukrainians,” the Border Guard stated.
To counter the migration pressure artificially created by Belarus and Russia since mid-2021, Poland built a 5.5-meter-high, 186-kilometer-long border barrier in 2022 and installed an advanced electronic monitoring system. Currently, Poland is modernizing this barrier.
Additionally, Poland extended the buffer zone on its border with Belarus for another 90 days, effective from December 10, 2023. This buffer zone, introduced on June 13, 2024, spans approximately 60 km. Entry restrictions apply to a 44.5 km section (up to 200 meters deep into the border area) and a 16.1 km section (up to 2 km deep).
Under its large-scale East Shield project, Warsaw plans to fortify its borders with Russia and Belarus by 2028. This initiative includes detection and warning systems, forward bases, logistics hubs, and counter-drone technology.
Source: Poland opens 280 criminal cases against Ukrainians for "aiding illegal migration" in 2024
