Ukrainian detained in Poland for allegedly smuggling migrants across Belarus border

A Ukrainian woman was detained in the northeastern village of Losinka near the Belarusian border on May 19 after she was found transporting five Afghan migrants who had illegally crossed into Poland, the Polish police said.

Poland has frequently accused Belarus and Russia of orchestrating an influx of migrants into the European Union through the Polish border. Warsaw claims thousands are trying to enter Poland from Belarus annually.

According to an official statement, Polish officers stopped a Mazda car for inspection and discovered the 36-year-old Ukrainian woman behind the wheel, along with five Afghan nationals in the vehicle. The migrants were later confirmed to have entered the country unlawfully.

The woman initially claimed she had been visiting a friend in the Hajnowka district and had spontaneously picked up the men while they were hitchhiking. However, she later admitted to the police that she had received instructions via a messaging app to pick up the migrants.

Both the driver and her passengers were handed over to the Polish Border Guard. Under Polish law, assisting in the illegal crossing of the border is a criminal offense punishable by up to eight years in prison, police said.