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What was happening on Ukraine's and Poland's borders?
Summary
A look back at two border-related developments reported in the days before 31 October 2021, in eastern Ukraine and on the Polish-Belarusian frontier.
What was shaping the security picture around Ukraine and its neighbours on 31 October 2021? Reports from the preceding days pointed to two separate border stories, one in eastern Ukraine and one on the edge of the European Union.
Eastern Ukraine
On 26 October 2021, the Turkish-made Bayraktar reconnaissance and strike drone system was used in combat for the first time in the area of the Joint Forces Operation, as reported at the time.
Poland and Belarus
The same day, 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, according to the reports, were being flown in by the Belarusian government. The increase followed an incident over the preceding weekend, when two border guards were hospitalised after a group of 70 migrants stormed a section of the frontier.
On 29 October 2021, the Polish Senate approved a plan to build a wall along the border with Belarus, at an estimated cost of €353 million (US$407 million). The measure was a response to the influx of migrants.
Why it mattered
The two developments were unconnected in the reports, but each involved a border and a military response: a new weapon in use in the Joint Forces Operation area, and a larger troop presence and planned barrier on Poland's frontier with Belarus.
