Underground Routes Replace Fence Breaches

Poland’s interior ministry says migrants are increasingly being moved through underground tunnels from Belarus into Polish territory, marking a shift in tactics along the eastern border.

According to Polish authorities, four such tunnels have been discovered in 2025, the most recent uncovered last week near the village of Narewka in eastern Poland.

The development comes as Poland continues to reinforce physical and electronic barriers erected since 2021.

The latest tunnel was detected by the Polish Border Guard using electronic monitoring systems.

Officials said the entrance lay around 50 meters inside Belarus, while the exit emerged approximately 10 meters into Poland.

The tunnel measured about 1.5 meters in height and ran for several dozen meters beneath the border barrier and a technical road.  

“Specialists from the Middle East”

Deputy interior minister Czesław Mroczek told RMF radio that Poland’s success in sealing the border has driven organizers to adopt more sophisticated methods.

He said that “specialists from the Middle East” had been brought to Belarus to dig the tunnels, a conclusion based on interviews with migrants intercepted after crossing.

Mroczek suggested that some individuals involved may have prior experience digging tunnels in conflict zones such as Gaza or Syria.

Interior minister Marcin Kierwiński later added that migrants from “Kurdistan” were among those involved in digging.

Both ministers emphasized that responsibility ultimately lies with the Belarusian authorities, whom Poland accuses of facilitating and directing the crossings.

Detentions and Smuggling Networks

Polish officials estimate that around 180 people passed through the most recently discovered tunnel.

Of those, about 130 were quickly detained by Polish authorities.

The majority were citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan, with others identified as Indians, Nepalis, and Bangladeshis.

In addition, two alleged “couriers” were arrested while attempting to collect migrants and transport them onward to western Europe: one a 69-year-old Polish national and the other a 49-year-old Lithuanian.

Earlier this week, border guards announced the detention of nine additional migrants, mostly Afghans, believed to have used the same tunnel.

The arrests underscore the organized nature of the smuggling networks operating along the border.

Detection and Hybrid Pressure

Poland’s Border Guard says it is reconfiguring its surveillance systems to better detect underground activity, expanding beyond surface-level monitoring.

Authorities frame the tunnel discoveries as part of a broader “hybrid attack” by Belarus, which Poland and the EU accuse of encouraging and assisting tens of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa to cross into the EU since 2021.

In response, Poland has built extensive physical barriers, deployed electronic monitoring, and tightened migration policy, including temporarily limiting the right to claim asylum.

Officials argue the emergence of tunnels highlights both the pressure on the border and the evolving methods used to circumvent controls, reinforcing Warsaw’s case for continued security measures.