Poland's border wall plan and a first Bayraktar use, late October 2021
A look back at reports from 26 to 29 October 2021 on the Polish-Belarusian frontier and on the Joint Forces operation area in eastern Ukraine.
What was happening on the European Union's eastern edge as of 31 October 2021? Reports from the preceding days pointed to a tightening of Poland's frontier with Belarus and to a new weapon in use in eastern Ukraine.
Poland reinforces its border
On 26 October 2021, Poland raised the number of soldiers deployed 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, as reported at the time, were being flown in by the Belarusian government. The increase followed an incident over the weekend in which two border guards were hospitalised after a group of 70 migrants stormed a section of the border.
On 29 October 2021, the Senate of Poland approved a plan to build a wall along the country's border with Belarus, at an estimated cost of €353 million (US$407 million). The measure was a response to the influx of migrants.
A first in the Joint Forces operation area
Separately, 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 in Ukraine.
Taken together, the reports from those days showed military and security measures being stepped up in two parts of the region by the end of October 2021.
