Polish border authorities have uncovered several underground tunnels allegedly used to smuggle migrants from Belarus into Poland, and officials suspect the structures may have been built with the help of specialists from the Middle East, according to a report Wednesday in Britain’s Daily Telegraph.
Lt. Col. Katarzyna Zdanowicz of the Polish Border Guard told the newspaper that officers discovered four tunnels under the border with Belarus in 2025. One of the largest was found in mid-December near the eastern village of Narewka.
The tunnel, about 60 meters (nearly 200 feet) long and 1.5 meters (5 feet) high, had an entrance concealed in a forest on the Belarusian side and emerged roughly 10 meters (33 feet) inside Polish territory, the report said. It was allegedly used to smuggle about 180 migrants, mainly from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Most were detained after exiting the tunnel, according to the Telegraph.
Polish officials told the newspaper they believe Belarus used experienced specialists from the Middle East to help plan the tunnels. Security footage released by Polish authorities showed a narrow passage reinforced with concrete supports to prevent collapse.
Military experts cited by the Telegraph said such construction techniques are associated with groups known for building tunnels in the Middle East, including Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as some Kurdish factions and possibly the Islamic State group. The claims could not be independently verified.
Lynette Nusbacher, a U.S. military historian, told the newspaper it was a “reasonable assumption” that Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah could have been involved. Rob Campbell, a British Army fortifications specialist who reviewed the footage, said Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad were possible candidates.
Belarus, led for more than three decades by President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has faced heavy European Union sanctions over its crackdown on protests in 2020 and for allowing Russian forces to use its territory to invade Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Telegraph, allowing construction of the tunnels could form part of what Western officials describe as Russia’s “hybrid warfare” against Europe, aimed in part at punishing Western countries for supporting Ukraine. Such tactics have included alleged cyberattacks and acts of sabotage across Europe.
Even before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belarus was accused of funneling thousands of migrants to the Polish border in an effort to pressure the European Union. In response, Poland built a 200-kilometer (124-mile) barrier equipped with hundreds of surveillance cameras along the frontier.
Belarus has also recently been accused of permitting the launch of thousands of smuggling balloons toward Lithuania, disrupting operations at airports in Vilnius and Kaunas, according to regional officials.