Belarus’s tactical use of migrants ‘unacceptable’: Nato

Brussels: Nato on Monday slammed as "unacceptable" Belarus’s allegedly tactical use of migrants to put pressure on the EU, saying it was worried about "escalation" on the border with Poland.

An alliance official termed the Belarusian regime’s ploy "a hybrid tactic", meaning a combined military-political operation, and said: "Nato stands ready to further assist our allies, and maintain safety and security in the region".

Belarus, allied with Russia, is under EU sanctions after diverting a Ryanair flight between EU capitals in May to arrest a dissident Belarusian journalist and his girlfriend on board, and brutally cracking down on the opposition.

Authorities in EU member Poland said on Monday that Belarus was sending hundreds of migrants to the border, where it has built high rows of barbed wire and deployed troops to hinder illegal crossings.