Polish Border Guard: 58 Russians Attempted Illegal Entry in First Half of Year

Polish border guards denied entry to 128 Russian citizens in the first half of the year, citing unclear intentions for their stay as the main reason. Additionally, 58 Russians attempted to cross into Poland illegally, with the Slovak-Polish and Russian-Polish borders seeing the highest numbers of such attempts. Ten Russians also tried to leave Poland illegally for third countries, mainly Germany.

The overall number of Russians legally entering Poland decreased by 11% compared to the same period last year, with 58,437 Russians crossing the border. This represents a drop of nearly 7,000 people. Vehicle traffic also saw a decline, with a 25% decrease in passenger cars, though bus traffic increased by 29%.

Authorities also refused entry to Russians at checkpoints, with 128 individuals being turned away. The most common reasons for refusal included a lack of proper documentation for the purpose and conditions of stay, and exceeding the 90-day limit in the EU. Thirty-seven Russians were also detained at the internal Schengen border for lacking valid travel documents or visas.

While the number of Russians attempting illegal entry or being denied visas rose, the number of Russians staying illegally in Poland slightly decreased. In the first half of the year, 390 cases of illegal stay were recorded, compared to 397 in the same period last year. Russians also filed 244 applications for international protection in Poland, making them the third-largest group seeking such status after Ukrainians and Belarusians.