text: Poland-Belarus border situationThe border situation in Poland is developing as many migrants have pulled back from their camps to more permanent facilities at the behest of Belarusian authorities. Iraqi evacuation flights removed a few hundred individuals, but an estimated 2,000 migrants from across the Middle East and North Africa remain in play for Minsk. The Polish border authorities accused Belarus of destroying security lights with a suspected pneumatic rifle. Belarusian authorities call the mere suggestion a provocation and appear to be looking for any excuse to engage in skirmishes. “Based on this, most sports competitions in shooting from pneumatic weapons are held at distances of 25-50 meters. In the area specified by Poland, the distance from the border to the Polish lighting masts exceeds the distance at which it is possible to make a targeted shot from pneumatic weapons, which, along with the meaninglessness of such actions, makes it impossible to damage them from the territory of Belarus,” Belarusian officials said. This morning Russian and Ukrainian Separatists began sharing a video from 29 November purportedly showing Ukrainian border guards shooting migrants from Belarus. The video appears highly staged due to the framing, type of weapons allegedly used, the movement of “migrants” and indiscriminate “Rambo” style of firing which would have resulted in a friendly fire incident. Further, the absence of infrared lights, lasers, night vision, and no use of white lights point to a staged event. Belarusian President Lukashenko said aggression on the Ukrainian border against migrants would prompt military intervention. A bold statement, but unlikely to occur without approval from Moscow.