Polish Border Guard officers discovered four tunnels dug under the border with Belarus in 2025. The passageways were designed to smuggle migrants into Poland, and intelligence suggests that groups linked to Hamas, Hezbollah or the Islamic State may have been involved in their construction.
The largest of the tunnels, found near Narewka in Podlasie, measured about 1.5 metres in height and stretched several dozen metres. Its entrance, hidden in a forest, lay roughly 50 metres inside Belarusian territory, while the exit was located just 10 metres from the Polish border barrier. In a short period, more than 180 foreigners used this underground route to cross illegally into Poland before the passage was sealed.
Border Guard officials confirmed that the majority of those detained were citizens of Afghanistan and Pakistan, with smaller numbers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Two drivers – a 69-year-old man from Małopolska and a 49-year-old Lithuanian citizen – were also arrested for arriving to collect the migrants and transport them further into Western Europe.
Terrorist footprints in the tunnels
Experts cited by The Telegraph have warned that constructing such sophisticated underground passages requires specialised engineering skills and resources. According to their analysis, only well-organised groups like Hamas, Hezbollah or the Islamic State possess the capability to dig tunnels of this scale. This raises the possibility that the migrant smuggling operation was part of a broader hybrid warfare strategy orchestrated by Minsk.
European Union officials have long described the migration crisis artificially generated by Alexander Lukashenko as a form of hybrid war. Multiple reports have documented cooperation between Belarusian border services and migrants, including direct assistance in crossing the frontier and instructions on how to bypass physical barriers.
Undermining Poland’s eastern shield
The discovery of these tunnels comes as Poland continues to reinforce its eastern border with a permanent barrier, surveillance systems and additional troops. Yet the underground passages represent a new and dangerous dimension of the threat. Security services are now reviewing existing detection methods, including ground-penetrating radar and seismic sensors, to prevent similar incursions in the future.
The case also highlights the broader network behind illegal migration. The two arrested drivers indicate a well-organised logistics chain stretching from the border deep into the European Union. Investigators are now tracing financial flows and communication links to determine whether the tunnels were financed or directed by foreign intelligence services.
Źródło: wnp.pl, Fot. Straż Graniczna / Materiały prasowe
