Atef Safadi / EPA
Four secret tunnels discovered by Poles. Belarus joins the scheme. It is part of the hybrid war with Europe.
A Poland claims to have discovered four underground tunnels that will be used by Russia to bring in illegal migrants from Belarus in its territory.
The Poles indicate that this tactic is a new phase of the migratory pressure campaign that Warsaw associates with Russia and Belarus. It is part of hybrid war, describes the .
According to Polish border guard officials, the four tunnels were found in 2025 along Poland’s eastern border. Lt. Col. Katarzyna Zdanowicz of the Podlaskie Border Guard Unit said border forces detected and disrupted crossings using thermal cameras and other electronic surveillance systems designed to monitor activity both on the surface and underground.
One of the largest tunnels was discovered near the village of Narewka in eastern Poland in mid-December.
Polish authorities said it had been used for around 180 migrantsespecially the Afghanistan and the Pakistan. Most were detained after turning up on the Polish side of the border.
According to authorities, the structure was about 1.5 meters tall, with the entrance hidden in a forested area on the Belarusian side. Polish officials said it stretched about 50 meters into Belarusian territory and 10 meters into Polish territory.
A video released by authorities appears to show a narrow tunnel, reinforced with concrete supports to prevent collapses. Polish police also published images of migrants lined up in a wooded area after being detained.
Warsaw says the tunnels point to a more sophisticated attempt to bypass the barrier heavily fortified border that Poland erected after previous waves of migration from Belarus.
Polish officials cited in the text said the designers and excavators appeared to have “a high level of expertise”, and some suggested that experts from the Middle East may have been involved. However, no public evidence has been presented that identifies those responsible.
Possible groups involved in this scheme: Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Kurdish factions and the Islamic State.
Tunneling operations will be linked to a wider pressure on Europeincluding alleged acts of sabotage, drone incursions, and other disruptive actions attributed to Russia and Belarus.
Polish authorities say they can locate and destroy the underground routes, but warn that, Whenever one illegal crossing method is blocked, another quickly emerges.
