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“Take it from me, please don’t come… It’s bad here.”
This is one of hundreds of messages sent by migrants at the Belarus border seen by Sky News. Texts warn others not to follow in their footsteps.
Another immigrant urges: “To those who say the borders are open, they are not open. It is a lie.” “Smugglers are spreading these rumours.”
Thousands of migrants gather at the border hoping to enter Poland.
Buses and planes are being organized to transport some 2,000 men, women and children at the border after two weeks of escalating tensions.
Many of them come from Iraq and Syria, and among them are a number of Iraqi Kurds.
At least one return flight is scheduled for today and will bring some migrants back to Iraq.
Dire conditions mean that many at the border may accept the offer to return home.
Messages circulating on social media show that some migrants are scared, tired and regret their attempt to make the journey.
The texts also show that those selling visas to Belarus have raised their prices in an attempt to take advantage of the rush of immigrants.
Migrants spent thousands trying to reach the European Union, and some claimed they were attacked during their journey.
A man says: “Take it from me, please don’t come and join everyone… It’s bad here. I paid [smuggler’s name] 4,000 euros (£3,357) and failed to cross.
On top of that, we were beaten.”
In another conversation, a man made the same claim: “The Belarusian army began beating anyone who got close to the wire.”
Image: Users discussed their plans in open Telegram groups
Going home is on the minds of many, as one man explains: “I wish I didn’t. I paid €3,800 (£3,190) and spent a thousand while I was here. Now I will need to pay €800 (£670) for a ticket home” .
The mood has changed and many have quit. Some believe that the moment of the European rush is over. They blame those who arrived before them and on their side.
Someone complains that “mass gatherings destroyed everything for us”. “If people had not gathered as they are now, tens of thousands would have easily crossed. We have missed the opportunity.”
2:24 Sky News goes inside a migrant camp on the border with Belarus.
Some still have hope and are trying to make the journey. One person who is currently in Iraq is one among many people searching online for answers on Telegram, a messaging app.
He asks in a group conversation, “What’s the situation there? Based on what I understand, people are coming there now.”
An immigrant who claims to have made the trip replies: “The situation is very tense at the border. It’s similar to what you see on the news.”
Some ask for information and reassurance despite their arrival in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.
One woman wrote: “I just saw the news on Facebook but now I’m in Minsk and can’t leave… I’m a girl alone. I don’t have anyone with me.”
Image: Smugglers’ rates and phone numbers have been shared in these groups. Here someone tells a woman that she can be smuggled for 3000 dollars
Others encourage her to pay a smuggler $3,000 (£2,200) to help her across the border, through Poland and into Germany – a route many migrants say they intend to travel.
She replied frightened, “I don’t know. I’m scared and I don’t speak the language.”
Many immigrants in these groups appear to be distrustful, confused and unsure of the situation.
A video shared in a Telegram chat shows Polish authorities preventing migrants from crossing the border. The user asks: “How do we know this is true”. no one reply.
Image: A video of migrants being stopped by Polish authorities has been shared, with the questions: ‘How do we know this is true?
Basic questions are asked: Are there still flights? How much is a winter coat? What is the cheapest visa?
The calls for help are common.
A father of three fell ill at the border. His nephew writes: “I am writing this and I am begging because someone’s life is in danger now.
“My uncle is now lying on the ground in a very critical condition… his friends can’t take care of him anymore.”
He continues: “I am writing this out of desperation…I am appealing to everyone who can help us take him to hospital or contact charities. I know where he is at the border.”
At least eight migrants died as temperatures fell, and others claimed to have been injured during violent beatings at the hands of multiple authorities.
The European Union and NATO accuse Belarus of granting migrants tourist visas and encouraging them to enter EU countries such as Poland in retaliation for EU sanctions.
It is still easy to find advertisements for Belarusian visas online.
Photo: It is still easy to find Belarusian visa announcements on social media
Belarus denies the crisis and accuses Poland of not handling the situation properly.
Belarus, as well as EU countries Lithuania and Latvia, have reported a sharp increase in the number of migrants trying to cross from Belarus since the summer.
Analysis of the number of flights to the Belarusian capital Minsk from Iraq in the summer shows a significant increase this year. Flights are up 75% compared to the average number of flights between countries before the pandemic in 2018 and 2019.
Then, after months of tension, the migrant crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland escalated this month.
On November 6, migrants were seen gathering in Minsk.
It is not yet clear why immigrants today began to gather in very large groups in the Minsk-Nymega region. Maybe, something will happen pic.twitter.com/JfU6BPx392
– Tadeusz Giczan (@TadeuszGiczan) November 6, 2021
The large numbers of migrants heading to the border prompted the Polish Ministry of National Defense to tweet this aerial footage on November 8.
A group of immigrants appears in Koznica, a Polish border village.
The ministry tweeted another video on November 8, in which it directly accuses Belarus of escorting migrants and encouraging them to try to breach the border.
“All migrant activities are carried out under the supervision and control of Belarusian soldiers,” the tweet read.
The next day the crisis escalated. Poland has deployed more than 12,000 soldiers to help protect its borders.
Polish forces at the border used water cannons and tear gas to try to repel the migrants, who in turn threw stones and logs through the barbed wire fence.
1:15 Water cannons are used against migrants at the Belarus-Poland border.
Some migrants claim that they have been subjected to violent abuse. The men in this video, who are Iraqi Kurds, claim that they were hit by dogs by the Belarusian police. At the end of the video, the speaking man said the group had no food or water.
Warning This video contains images of injuries.
The European Union pledged on Wednesday to send 700,000 euros (£587,000) of food, blankets and other aid to migrants at the Belarus border to ease harsh conditions at the border.
But Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak warned that the crisis would not go away quickly.
“We must be ready not to quickly settle this situation on the Belarusian border,” he said in an interview with Polish public radio.
Credits:
Writing and reporting: Jack Taylor, Sania Burgess, Adam Parker
Data Journalism: Kieran Devine, Ganesh Rao
The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent Sky News journalism. We collect, analyze and visualize data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite imagery, social media, and other open source information. By telling stories in multimedia, we aim to better explain the world while showing how our journalism works.
Why data journalism matters to Sky News
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