A simmering months-long border crisis along the European Union's frontiers with Belarus has this week morphed into a serious geopolitical dispute and stoked fears of a humanitarian disaster. It is estimated that thousands are now gathered near the line that divides Belarus and Poland.
Those trying to leave Belarus have been denied entry to Poland, with a forbidding barbed wire fence and masses of security forces deployed by Warsaw barring their way. There have been reports of illegal so-called "pushbacks" being conducted, with Polish guards accused of returning undocumented migrants to Belarus.
The crisis erupted earlier this year, when longtime Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko reacted furiously to EU sanctions. Various actors have been accused of retaliatory acts for sanctions, with the situation likely to escalate.
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