Poland discovered and disrupted a nearly 100-meter smuggling tunnel from Belarus used to push 180+ migrants across the border in December 2025, attributing the operation to Belarusian and Russian regimes attempting to destabilize Poland.

Population & Migration ToolsWeaponized MigrationPushing asylum-seekers across borders

AggressorDefense

Summary

On or before December 13, 2025, Polish authorities uncovered a sophisticated nearly 100-meter tunnel constructed under the Polish-Belarusian border near Narewka. This tunnel was used to smuggle over 180 migrants, primarily from Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also from India and Nepal. The migrants were pushed through this clandestine route by Belarusian security forces loyal to Lukashenko’s regime in coordination with Russian interests, aiming to weaponize migration pressure on Poland. The Polish Border Guard, supported by police and tracking dogs, successfully intercepted and detained more than 130 migrants soon after they emerged on Polish soil. Additionally, two facilitators—a Polish man aged 69 and a Lithuanian man aged 49—were arrested for aiding the migrants' movement into Europe. Officials framed the tunnel operation as a state-sponsored, cynical effort to destabilize Poland and disrupt NATO members through hybrid warfare tactics using human suffering as a weapon.

Classification

Confidence: High

Classified as aggressor event because Belarusian security forces, under Lukashenko and with Russian alignment, engineered a migrant smuggling tunnel to destabilize Poland. Classified as defense prep event because Polish border authorities, aided by police and tracking dogs, intercepted migrants and arrested facilitators, demonstrating effective border security response.

Source URL

https://x.com/yasminalombaert/status/1999960610931360152

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: hwt_web_submit
Submitted: Feb 13, 2026, 19:25 UTC
Last updated: Nov 8, 2026, 20:54 UTC
Event time: Dec 13, 2025, 00:00 UTC

Published as a Defense Preparations signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "ca59938b-52d5-4780-91c6-0bb16ec64854",
  "url": "https://x.com/yasminalombaert/status/1999960610931360152",
  "source": "hwt_web_submit",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Population & Migration Tools",
  "subcategory": "Weaponized Migration",
  "incident_type": "Pushing asylum-seekers across borders",
  "country": "Poland",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "Belarus",
    "Poland",
    "Migration",
    "Smuggling Tunnel",
    "Hybrid Warfare",
    "Weaponized Migration",
    "Lukashenko",
    "Putin",
    "Border Security"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 1: Borders"
  ],
  "countries": [],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "A nearly 100-meter-long tunnel used for smuggling migrants from Belarus into Poland was discovered near Narewka on the Belarusian side of the border. The tunnel was engineered by Belarusian security forces under Lukashenko’s regime to push over 180 migrants—mostly from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal—across the border to destabilize Poland. The Polish Border Guard, aided by police and tracking dogs, intercepted more than 130 migrants shortly after they emerged from the tunnel, foiling the scheme. Two local operatives, a 69-year-old Pole and a 49-year-old Lithuanian, were arrested for helping ferry migrants further into Europe. The operation is attributed to the Belarusian and Russian regimes' attempt to weaponize migration as a hybrid warfare tactic against Poland, a NATO member.",
  "summary_short": "Poland discovered and disrupted a nearly 100-meter smuggling tunnel from Belarus used to push 180+ migrants across the border in December 2025, attributing the operation to Belarusian and Russian regimes attempting to destabilize Poland.",
  "summary_extended": "On or before December 13, 2025, Polish authorities uncovered a sophisticated nearly 100-meter tunnel constructed under the Polish-Belarusian border near Narewka. This tunnel was used to smuggle over 180 migrants, primarily from Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also from India and Nepal. The migrants were pushed through this clandestine route by Belarusian security forces loyal to Lukashenko’s regime in coordination with Russian interests, aiming to weaponize migration pressure on Poland. The Polish Border Guard, supported by police and tracking dogs, successfully intercepted and detained more than 130 migrants soon after they emerged on Polish soil. Additionally, two facilitators—a Polish man aged 69 and a Lithuanian man aged 49—were arrested for aiding the migrants' movement into Europe. Officials framed the tunnel operation as a state-sponsored, cynical effort to destabilize Poland and disrupt NATO members through hybrid warfare tactics using human suffering as a weapon.",
  "actor_primary": "Belarusian security forces under Lukashenko's regime",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "near Narewka, Polish-Belarusian border",
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": null,
  "location_coordinates_lon": null,
  "location_precision": "Approximate",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "Classified as aggressor event because Belarusian security forces, under Lukashenko and with Russian alignment, engineered a migrant smuggling tunnel to destabilize Poland. Classified as defense prep event because Polish border authorities, aided by police and tracking dogs, intercepted migrants and arrested facilitators, demonstrating effective border security response.",
  "event_time_utc": "2025-12-13T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-02-13T19:25:07.394Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T20:54:47.692Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "approximate",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "high",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: HighSingle sourceTime: Same dayLocation: Approximate

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Dec 13, 2025, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

near Narewka, Polish-Belarusian border

Primary actor

Belarusian security forces under Lukashenko's regime

Country

Poland

Tags

Belarus, Poland, Migration, Smuggling Tunnel, Hybrid Warfare, Weaponized Migration, Lukashenko, Putin, Border Security

Nodes

Node 1: Borders

Loading signal...

{ "id": "ca59938b-52d5-4780-91c6-0bb16ec64854", "url": "https://x.com/yasminalombaert/status/1999960610931360152", "source": "hwt_web_submit", "status": "approved", "category": "Population & Migration Tools", "subcategory": "Weaponized Migration", "incident_type": "Pushing asylum-seekers across borders", "country": "Poland", "source_reliability": "C", "info_credibility": "3", "tags": [ "Belarus", "Poland", "Migration", "Smuggling Tunnel", "Hybrid Warfare", "Weaponized Migration", "Lukashenko", "Putin", "Border Security" ], "nodes": [ "Node 1: Borders" ], "countries": [], "where_text": "Land", "headline": null, "description": "A nearly 100-meter-long tunnel used for smuggling migrants from Belarus into Poland was discovered near Narewka on the Belarusian side of the border. The tunnel was engineered by Belarusian security forces under Lukashenko’s regime to push over 180 migrants—mostly from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal—across the border to destabilize Poland. The Polish Border Guard, aided by police and tracking dogs, intercepted more than 130 migrants shortly after they emerged from the tunnel, foiling the scheme. Two local operatives, a 69-year-old Pole and a 49-year-old Lithuanian, were arrested for helping ferry migrants further into Europe. The operation is attributed to the Belarusian and Russian regimes' attempt to weaponize migration as a hybrid warfare tactic against Poland, a NATO member.", "summary_short": "Poland discovered and disrupted a nearly 100-meter smuggling tunnel from Belarus used to push 180+ migrants across the border in December 2025, attributing the operation to Belarusian and Russian regimes attempting to destabilize Poland.", "summary_extended": "On or before December 13, 2025, Polish authorities uncovered a sophisticated nearly 100-meter tunnel constructed under the Polish-Belarusian border near Narewka. This tunnel was used to smuggle over 180 migrants, primarily from Afghanistan and Pakistan, but also from India and Nepal. The migrants were pushed through this clandestine route by Belarusian security forces loyal to Lukashenko’s regime in coordination with Russian interests, aiming to weaponize migration pressure on Poland. The Polish Border Guard, supported by police and tracking dogs, successfully intercepted and detained more than 130 migrants soon after they emerged on Polish soil. Additionally, two facilitators—a Polish man aged 69 and a Lithuanian man aged 49—were arrested for aiding the migrants' movement into Europe. Officials framed the tunnel operation as a state-sponsored, cynical effort to destabilize Poland and disrupt NATO members through hybrid warfare tactics using human suffering as a weapon.", "actor_primary": "Belarusian security forces under Lukashenko's regime", "target_primary": null, "location_text": "near Narewka, Polish-Belarusian border", "location_region": null, "location_coordinates_lat": null, "location_coordinates_lon": null, "location_precision": "Approximate", "is_aggressor_signal": true, "signal_type": "DEFENSE_PREP_SIGNAL", "is_hybrid_war_signal": true, "classification_complete": true, "hybrid_signal_complete": true, "classification_confidence": "High", "classification_rationale": "Classified as aggressor event because Belarusian security forces, under Lukashenko and with Russian alignment, engineered a migrant smuggling tunnel to destabilize Poland. Classified as defense prep event because Polish border authorities, aided by police and tracking dogs, intercepted migrants and arrested facilitators, demonstrating effective border security response.", "event_time_utc": "2025-12-13T00:00:00.000Z", "end_time_utc": null, "event_time_confidence": "pm24h", "created_at": "2026-02-13T19:25:07.394Z", "updated_at": "2026-11-08T20:54:47.692Z", "reliability_band": "strong", "location_precision_band": "approximate", "time_precision_band": "within_24h", "severity_band": "moderate", "attribution_confidence_band": "high", "attribution_basis": "single_source" }