Confessions from a Belarusian Guard: How Middle Eastern Refugees Were Pushed into Europe

Описание: For the past four years, the Belarus–EU border has remained one of the main entry points for thousands of refugees trying to reach Europe. Newly built fences have done little to stem the flow. Since 2021, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have accused Alexander Lukashenko of deliberately engineering this migration crisis — with Moscow’s support.

In this investigation, a former Belarusian border guard, Alexei Zaleski (*name changed), explains how he was instructed to escort migrants directly to the frontier, while Iranian refugee Ali Rahimi (*name changed) describes how, in 2023, he crossed into the EU with the help of Belarusian troops.

Watch this report in Russian:    • «Вон там Европа». Как белорусские военные ...  

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00:00 “We called it a game” “We called it a game, an attempt to cross.”
01:20 Becoming a border guard “At that time, I didn’t know what the border service was. I didn’t know anything at all.”
03:00 First secret mission “We loaded them into our jeep and told them, guys, the European Union is over there.”
06:00 Escalation and propaganda “Lukashenko shouted: show me at least one video…
08:30 Dehumanization “He said: I have no home anymore. I will stay here until the end.”
10:20 Ali’s journey “I knew I couldn’t return to my family. I was under threat of arrest.”
13:40 The smugglers and the Forbidden Zone “You feel like a hostage to the smugglers… You can’t run away.”
15:40 The pushback game “We called it a game… but people stood in cold water all night.”
19:40 A crossing and a dead end “Two years have passed and I’m still living in a refugee camp. I’m stuck.”
21:20 Silence and threats “They told me: if we ever see you in the news, we will find you.”