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What was happening on Poland's border with Belarus?
Summary
A look back at the border measures Poland took in late October 2021 and a first combat use of a drone in eastern Ukraine.
What was happening along the eastern edge of the European Union on 30 October 2021? The days leading up to that date brought two developments in the region: Poland moved to harden its frontier with Belarus, and Ukraine's forces used a Turkish drone in combat for the first time.
Poland reinforces its border
On 26 October 2021, Poland raised the number of soldiers on its border with Belarus from 6,000 to about 10,000. The aim was to stop further illegal crossings by Middle Eastern migrants who, as reported at the time, were being flown in by the Belarusian government. The troop surge followed an incident over the preceding weekend, when a group of 70 migrants stormed a section of the border and two border guards were hospitalised.
On 29 October 2021, the Polish Senate approved a plan to build a wall along the border with Belarus. The estimated cost was €353 million (US$407 million). The measure was a response to the influx of migrants and formed part of what became known as the 2021 Belarus–European Union border crisis.
A first for Ukraine's operation in the east
Separately, on 26 October 2021, the Turkish-made Bayraktar reconnaissance-strike drone system was used in combat for the first time in the area of the Joint Forces Operation in eastern Ukraine.
Taken together, these reports show how security matters were pressing on several of Ukraine's neighbours and on Ukraine itself in the final days of October 2021.
