Polish border guards have discovered a tunnel connecting Belarus and Poland, officials confirmed on October 18. The tunnel, found near the Podlaskie region, began and ended roughly 20 meters (65 feet) from the frontier, and was detected using newly installed electronic monitoring systems.
Poland’s Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said the discovery highlights ongoing “hybrid warfare” tactics allegedly backed by Belarus to destabilize the European Union’s eastern border. Since January, authorities have recorded more than 26,000 attempts to cross illegally from Belarus, a crisis Poland and its allies blame on Minsk’s strategy of funneling migrants toward EU territory.
The finding comes amid heightened tensions between Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies, and neighboring EU nations. Click through the following gallery to explore Russia’s top allies and their influence on global security.