Bialowieza Wilderness in Poland cut by border barrier

Polish border pole is seen against the physical barrier between Poland and Belarus in the middle of Bialowieza Forest on July 1, 2022 in Bialowieza, Poland. The Polish government decided to build a 186 kilometers long and 5.5 meter high steel barrier with barbed wire on the Polish - Belarus border, which is as well the border of the European Union and NATO. The decision was made after thousands of migrants, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan tried to cross into Poland from Belarus. Part of the barrier passes through Bialowieza forest. The decision was highly controversial as Bialowieza wilderness is one of the very few remaining primeval forests and the barrier will destroy natural habitats of endangered animal species. The government of Belarus was accused of orchestrating the migration, with help from Russia. The pressure on the Polish border is today seen as the first step of a larger plan of Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, to destabilise the European Union.