The steel barrier is also equipped with technology such as motion sensors and cameras, with work reportedly ongoing to build more fortifications.
18:18, Tue, Feb 24, 2026 Updated: 18:21, Tue, Feb 24, 2026
A soldier of the Polish Border Guard stands at the steel barrier along the frontier with Belarus (Image: Getty)
Nearly all migrants attempting to enter Poland via Belarus are being stopped by an 18ft steel wall, it has been claimed. The fortification along Poland’s eastern border with Belarus was completed in 2022 and stretches for around 116 miles.
Razor-wire fences stand on both sides of it, with thousands of security personnel stationed there. The steel barrier is also equipped with technology such as motion sensors and cameras, with work reportedly ongoing to build more fortifications. The project, which was expected to cost £293million, was built in a bid to stop asylum seekers crossing into Poland from Belarus.
Polish border guards patrol along the steel wall at the frontier with Belarus in 2023 (Image: Getty)
Warsaw has accused Minsk — and also Moscow — of inviting people from the Middle East and Africa and busing them to the Poland-Belarus border and into Poland.
The EU nation has claimed Belarus — a crucial ally of Vladimir Putin’s Russia — is conducting a “hybrid war”.
During a visit to the steel barrier, The New Yorker, citing a press officer, reported that the barrier and border guards are stopping 96% of migrants attempting to cross into Poland.
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The border guard is said to have blocked 5,000 crossings in August alone.
Patrols have reportedly been made easier due to a new surveillance system which has thermal imaging and night vision.
According to The New Yorker, most migrants now fail to reach Poland on their first attempt and are typically pushed back to Belarus where they stay in forest encampments near the border or in the capital Minsk.
Some die on the journey or disappear, it reported, however the ‘Green Border’ is said to still be a safer route to Europe than crossing the Mediterranean.
The UN agency said this marks the deadliest start to a year in the region on record and urged for great international efforts to save lives at sea.
It is claimed that with the help of smugglers, many migrants still manage to make their way into Poland or further into Europe.
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The Doctors Without Borders group reports almost half of those who make the journey have physical trauma and that the majority are in psychological distress.
The steel barrier is positioned through the Białowieża Forest — a UNESCO world heritage site.
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