Polish police have detained a 36-year-old Ukrainian woman on suspicion of aiding illegal migrants who crossed the border from Belarus.
According to the police in the town of Hajnówka, the incident occurred in the village of Losinka, approximately 20 kilometers from the Belarusian border. During a vehicle inspection, a police patrol found five Afghan nationals who had recently crossed into Poland illegally from Belarus. The driver of the vehicle was the Ukrainian woman.
Initially, the woman claimed she was returning from a visit to a friend living in the area and had spontaneously agreed to give a ride to a group of hitchhikers. However, she later admitted that she had deliberately gone to pick up the Afghans after responding to an offer on a messaging app. She faces up to eight years in prison on charges related to facilitating illegal migration.
In March 2025, the Polish government announced new measures to strengthen border controls with Belarus and tighten rules for seeking international protection in response to increasing migration pressure.
