Poland sees rise of African migrants coming through Russia

By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish officials say they’re seeing a change in migration across the country’s border with Belarus. They said Thursday that Africans who first traveled to Russia make most of those seeking to enter Poland illegally by that route instead of people from the Mideast. The Polish government says the African migrants include individuals passing through Russia and some who have been in Russia for a longer period of time. Belarus is an ally and neighbor of Russia. In an emailed statement to The Associated Press, the government described the migration as part of a “hybrid operation aimed at destabilizing the NATO eastern flank.”