Belarus accuses Poland of attacking border with slingshot and 'metal balls'

Minsk says that Polish security forces "fired on the checkpoint".
Minsk says that Polish security forces "fired on the checkpoint". Copyright State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus
Copyright State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus
By Euronews
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Polish security forces allegedly tried to "blind the Belarusian border guards with strobe lights".

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Belarus' border guard has accused Polish forces of attacking them using a slingshot and "metal balls".

Polish border authorities allegedly committed "illegal actions" at a checkpoint near the city of Brest, the authority said.

"On the night of April 10-11, Polish soldiers fired on the Belarusian road checkpoint Peschatka," a statement read.

"The security also forces tried to blind the Belarusian border guards with strobe lights."

A video shared by Belarus' State Border Committee showed an armed individual flashing a light toward the camera. Another individual then appears to fire a slingshot across the border.

"During the inspection of the territory, the Belarusian border detachment found damage to the walls of the border, as well as metal balls," Minsk said.

"The Polish side was informed about the border incident" the authority added.

The alleged incident is reminiscent of another reported "border violation" in January when holes were discovered near an emblem of the Belarusian State Border Committee.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Poland and Belarus' ally Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly accused Minsk of preparing to send its own troops into the war, which Belarus denies.

Meanwhile, relations between Poland and Belarus have deteriorated following the disputed re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in 2020.

Warsaw has started building a €350 million fence along its Belarusian border to block the entry of illegal migrants.

On Sunday, the Polish Border Guard accused Belarusian officials of "throwing stones" and using "lasers" against Polish patrols as a group of migrants tried to enter the country.

"We do not comment on the materials published by the Belarusian side," a Border Guard spokesperson told Euronews.

"There were many indications that in recent months some of the information published by the Belarusian services was manipulated."

"The Border Guard officers did not fire any shots either last night or recently, nor did they use any slingshot-type tools - we do not have such in our equipment."

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