INTERNACIONAL
NATO ally Poland warns Russia, Belarus pushing illegal migrants toward alliance — and the US
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This is part two of a series examining the challenges confronting the NATO alliance.
POLAND-BELARUS BORDER — Riding in a military convoy escorted by armored vehicles from Poland’s 18th «Iron Division» along the country’s 521-kilometer border with Belarus, soldiers pointed toward dense forests where they say Europe’s newest form of warfare is unfolding.
Polish officials warn illegal migrants weaponized by Russia and Belarus to destabilize NATO’s eastern flank are also making their way to the United States — part of what Warsaw calls an ongoing war against the Western alliance that has direct implications for American security.
The border was once guarded mainly by Poland’s Border Guard and police. But after years of mounting pressure from illegal crossings, Polish officials say the army was deployed because the situation became too large and too dangerous to handle as a conventional immigration challenge.
TROOPS AT THE BORDER: HOW THE MILITARY’S ROLE IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT HAS EXPLODED UNDER TRUMP
Soldiers from Poland’s 18th «Iron Division» take part in a military exercise at the Poland-Belarus border amid what Polish officials describe as a Russian and Belarusian campaign to weaponize illegal migration against NATO countries. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News Digital.)
Now, the frontier is guarded in layers: soldiers, border guards and rapid-response forces. A temporary barrier built in 2021 has become an electronic fence backed by surveillance systems and military patrols. Polish officials say migrants trying to cross have come from countries including Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan and India.
They describe the crisis as «artificial migration,» saying the illegals are flown into Belarus from the Middle East, Africa and Asia and then transported toward the Polish border by Belarusian authorities in an effort to pressure and destabilize NATO countries.
Military officials at the border said the peak was in 2021, when there were 39,697 illegal crossing attempts. By 2025, it was 29,869, slightly fewer than in 2024. So far in 2026, they have seen a major drop, they say.
For Warsaw, the numbers tell only part of the story.
Polish officials say the border pressure is not spontaneous illegal migration, but a Russian-backed Belarusian operation designed to destabilize NATO from within.
«We are at war,» Ambassador Krzysztof Olendzki of Poland’s Foreign Ministry told Fox News Digital after the border visit.
«Not only Poland, but also all the countries of the eastern flank of NATO, we are in war,» Olendzki said. «We cannot see it as a classical war with soldiers, with tanks and so on, but the war is exercised by our adversaries, by Belarus and Russia, who are using practically migrants as an asymmetric weapon against NATO countries.»
WHITE HOUSE ROADMAP SAYS EUROPE MAY BE ‘UNRECOGNIZABLE’ IN 20 YEARS AS MIGRATION RAISES DOUBTS ABOUT US ALLIES
File photo shows mostly male illegal migrants waiting at the closed area prepared by the Belarusian government within the border region after they cleared camps at the Poland-Belarus border, on Nov. 18, 2021, in Grodno region, Belarus. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The crisis dates back to 2021, when Poland, Lithuania and Latvia accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime of encouraging migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere to travel to Belarus and cross illegally into the European Union. Belarus has denied orchestrating the flows, but Poland and the EU have described the campaign as hybrid warfare.
Olendzki said the goal is not only to push people across the border, but to create chaos inside Western societies.
The border visit underscored how far Poland has gone to harden what it views as one of NATO’s most vulnerable frontiers.
Capt. Angelika Korkosz of Poland’s 18th Division described the day-to-day strain on soldiers stationed there.
«Many times soldiers were faced with aggression from illegal groups of immigrants, and they have to act appropriately and calmly in accordance with the law and procedures while protecting themselves,» Korkosz told Fox News Digital.
POLISH GOVERNMENT PLANS MANDATORY MILITARY TRAINING FOR ADULT MEN
A Polish soldier stands watch near the Belarus border, where officials say migration pressure has evolved into a form of hybrid warfare targeting NATO’s eastern flank on May 16, 2026.
Polish officials said migrants have used Molotov cocktails in at least two incidents, sparking fires near the border. Soldiers also spoke of a Polish serviceman who died after being stabbed by an illegal migrant at the frontier.
Korkosz said the challenge is not only violence, but exhaustion.
«A few months ago, we had minus-20-degree winters, so 12-hour duty during these conditions is really demanding,» she said. «Many soldiers are here for a long time, and it is getting more and more difficult, this long separation from their relatives.»
Still, she said the troops are prepared.
«The training includes decision-making under pressure in an ambiguous operational environment,» Korkosz said. «That’s why when we are here at the border, we are really well-prepared for performing our duties.»
Poland says the border defenses are working. Amb. Olendzki said the lower number of crossings this year reflects the physical barrier, the increased effectiveness of the Border Guard and the military presence. But he warned the threat has not disappeared, only shifted.
NATO WARNS RUSSIA AFTER POLAND SHOOTS DOWN ‘HUGE NUMBER’ OF DRONES THAT VIOLATED ITS AIRSPACE
Soldiers from Poland’s 18th Division demonstrate battlefield medical training near the Belarus border after a serviceman from the division was killed in an attack by an illegal migrant. May 16th, 2026. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News)
«Seeing the fact that the Polish-Belarusian border is quite well guarded, our adversaries are just pushing migrants through the borders of our neighboring countries,» he said. «So it hasn’t ended, but it’s changed the direction. The threat still exists, and we must be vigilant.»
That matters to NATO because Poland’s border with Belarus is not only Warsaw’s border. It is also the eastern edge of the European Union and NATO territory.
Belarus is Russia’s closest ally and allowed its territory to be used for Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Russia may be trying to pull Belarus deeper into the war and could use Belarusian territory to threaten Ukraine or even a NATO country.
That fear is central to Poland’s security posture.
During a meeting with reporters in Warsaw, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told Fox News Digital Russia’s war against Ukraine is, for Poland, «a matter of national safety and existence.»
But Sikorski said the threat to NATO countries is already wider than the battlefield in Ukraine.
«We had on NATO countries’ territories assassinations, numerous drone attacks on airports, on critical infrastructure,» Sikorski said. «We had very serious cyberattacks.»
Polish soldiers stand watch near the Belarus border, where officials say migration pressure has evolved into a form of hybrid warfare targeting NATO’s eastern flank. May 16th, 2026. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News Digital)
Sikorski said Poland faced a Russian-instigated cyberattack last December on critical energy infrastructure that Warsaw believes was intended «to black out part of Poland.»
The warning fits a broader pattern of concerns across NATO’s eastern flank. The Associated Press reported earlier this year that balloons from Belarus had crossed into Polish airspace for a third consecutive night, with Polish forces describing the incidents as attempts to test air defense responses.
For Poland, illegal migration, cyberattacks, drones, sabotage and disinformation are not separate problems. They are different pieces of one Russian and Belarusian pressure campaign against NATO.
Olendzki said Poland’s role is to stop the pressure before it moves deeper into Europe or beyond.
«Standing on guard on the eastern flank of NATO, we are providing security not only to Poland, to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, but to entire NATO, also to the United States,» he said.
US Border Patrol agents prepare to transport migrants for asylum claim processing at the US-Mexico border in Campo, California, US, on Friday, April 5, 2024. Last week a federal judge sharply questioned the Biden administration’s position that it bears no responsibility for housing and feeding migrant children while they wait in makeshift camps along the US-Mexico border, reported the AP. (Mark Abramson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
That U.S. connection is a central part of Poland’s message to Washington: The eastern flank is not a distant European problem, but a front line in a broader confrontation with Russia and its allies.
Poland now spends nearly 5% of its GDP on defense, the highest rate in NATO, if based on GPD. Sikorski said Warsaw has long taken defense spending seriously.
«We never went below 2% defense spending,» Sikorski said. «Now we are spending almost 5%. This is real military spending.»
He said the eastern flank has become more influential inside NATO because countries closest to Russia were proven right.
US ALLIES ACCUSE RUSSIA OF ‘ESCALATING HYBRID ACTIVITIES’ AGAINST NATO, EU NATIONS AFTER DATA CABLES SEVERED
A Polish border guard at the Polish-Belarus border fence near the village of Ozierany Male, Poland, on Friday, Jul. 4, 2025. (Damian Lemanski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
«The eastern flank is much more powerful than even five years ago,» Sikorski said. «We were right about the nature of Putin’s regime and Russia’s aggressive strategy.»
That view has shaped Poland’s approach to the United States. Warsaw wants American troops to remain in Europe, but Polish officials also acknowledge that Europe must assume more of the defense burden as U.S. attention increasingly shifts toward China and the Indo-Pacific.
Sikorski said Poland understands that «Europe ceased to be angle number one for U.S. foreign policy,» but wants any change in America’s role to be «gradual and well-designed.»
He added that Poland wants the shift in trans-Atlantic security to be «not a divorce, but a new kind of relationship.»
For now, that relationship is being tested along a cold, wooded border where Poland says NATO’s future wars may already be taking shape.
The Polish soldiers patrolling the frontier do not describe their mission in grand geopolitical terms. Korkosz said she joined the military because she wanted to do «something which matters.»
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Members of Poland’s 18th «Iron Division» patrol the Belarus border as Warsaw accuses Belarus and Russia of funneling illegal migrants toward NATO territory. May 16, 2026. (Efrat Lachter/Fox News Digital)
But to Polish officials, the mission at the Belarus border is much bigger than immigration enforcement.
It is a warning to the rest of NATO that the alliance’s next war may not begin with tanks crossing a border, but with migrants pushed through forests, cyberattacks on power grids, drones near airports and disinformation campaigns designed to fracture societies from within.
nato, belarus, border security, military, terrorism, russia
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INTERNACIONAL
Del viaje soñado a la tragedia: quién era Serena Andreatta, la argentina que murió en un choque en Australia
Serena Andreatta tenía 26 años y su vida estaba marcada por la aventura. El fin de semana, en uno de sus viajes turísticos por Australia, murió de forma trágica tras sufrir un vuelco en el micro en el que circulaba por el estado de Queensland.
Nacida en Rosario, Serena intentó construir un futuro ligado al turismo y las experiencias internacionales. Tenía doble ciudadanía argentina e italiana y desde hacía varios años recorría distintos países, compartiendo en sus redes sociales paisajes, anécdotas y reflexiones personales sobre cada destino.
Entre 2018 y 2020 estudió Administración, Dirección de Empresas y Accounting en la Escuela Superior de Comercio de la Universidad Nacional de Rosario.
En mayo de 2020, Serena se instaló en Italia, donde empezó trabajando como camarera y recepcionista en hoteles.
Con el tiempo, desarrolló un emprendimiento propio para asesorar a argentinos que buscaban obtener la ciudadanía italiana.
Europa, Asia y el sueño australiano
Durante los últimos años, Serena recorrió países de Europa, América y Asia. En 2025, pasó más de seis meses entre Vietnam y Tailandia, especialmente en la isla Koh Tao, un paraíso para mochileros y amantes del buceo. La joven había llegado a Australia en abril. (Foto: Instagram Sereandreatta)
Desde allí, compartió mensajes sobre el cambio personal que le generaron esas experiencias: “Vivir en una isla paradisíaca, estar en patas todo el día, conocer las profundidades del infinito azul y por ende las mías. Dicen que nunca te vas siendo la misma que llegaste, y puff cuánta verdad… crecimiento puro”, escribió en Instagram.
La joven había llegado a Australia en abril. (Foto: Instagram Sereandreatta)
Australia era su nueva aventura. Había llegado el 17 de abril y, tras unos días en Sidney, decidió seguir recorriendo el país junto a su amiga Valentina Accardi. Según sus allegados, estaba viviendo “el viaje de sus sueños”.
El accidente que terminó con su vida
Todo cambió la noche del jueves, cuando el micro en el que viajaban Serena y Valentina volcó sobre la Bruce Highway, una de las rutas más transitadas del noreste australiano.
El colectivo, de la empresa FlixBus, hacía el trayecto entre Cairns y Airlie Beach y llevaba más de 30 pasajeros, la mayoría jóvenes extranjeros y mochileros.
Según los primeros informes, el micro perdió el control cerca de Gumlu, a unos 135 kilómetros al sur de Townsville. Algunas versiones indican que habría chocado previamente con otro vehículo antes de volcar.
La escena fue “catastrófica”, según describieron las autoridades, por la violencia del impacto y la cantidad de heridos atrapados.
Serena fue rescatada con vida y trasladada de urgencia a un hospital, pero las graves heridas terminaron provocando su muerte. Su identidad fue confirmada oficialmente por las autoridades australianas en las últimas horas.
Valentina Accardi, amiga de Serena Andreatta, sigue internada en el Hospital Universitario de Townsville. (Foto: Instagram Sereandreatta)
Su amiga Valentina Accardi sobrevivió y permanece internada en el Hospital Universitario de Townsville, bajo observación. Otras dos personas resultaron gravemente heridas y fueron trasladadas en helicóptero a distintos centros médicos.
El primer ministro de Queensland, David Crisafulli, expresó su pesar: “Son jóvenes que están viviendo el viaje de sus vidas en un país extranjero. Que les arrebaten eso es profundamente doloroso”.
Por su parte, el superintendente Dean Cavanagh describió la escena como “impactante y compleja” y explicó que la gran cantidad de extranjeros a bordo dificultó tanto la investigación como el acompañamiento a las familias. “Nos aseguraremos de que al final de esta investigación no solo analicemos qué sucedió, sino, lo que es más importante, por qué sucedió”, afirmó.
Un tramo de ruta bajo cuestionamiento
Según medios australianos, el accidente ocurrió cerca del mismo lugar donde en 2024 otro micro de la empresa Greyhound chocó y provocó la muerte de tres mujeres.
Crisafulli reconoció que ese tramo vial presenta problemas de seguridad. “No creo que la carretera esté en buenas condiciones. Si tenemos en cuenta que más de 40 personas han perdido la vida en un año en una carretera como esa, si eso no evidencia la necesidad de actuar, entonces no sé qué lo hará”, sostuvo. Serena vivía en Italia. (Foto: gentileza 9News.)
El historial de seguridad de FlixBus también quedó bajo análisis. La empresa aseguró que el exceso de velocidad no fue un factor determinante y que el conductor dio negativo en los controles de drogas y alcohol, aunque esos detalles todavía no fueron confirmados oficialmente por la Policía.
En febrero pasado, un chofer de 55 años de la misma compañía fue multado por conducción temeraria después de que otro micro de FlixBus se estrellara contra un potrero en Alligator Creek, en las afueras de Townsville.
La Unidad de Investigación de Accidentes de Tráfico quedó a cargo del caso y pidió a posibles testigos que aporten información.
Accidente, Australia, Argentina, Muerte
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Fresh off his work to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., in a Louisiana primary, President Donald Trump made a call to action against Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., urging his backers to vote out another one of his GOP critics and warning the rest of the party to align with him or risk Cassidy’s fate.
«Tom Massie of Kentucky, the worst and most unreliable Republican Congressman in the history of our Country, is an even bigger insult to our Nation than Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who suffered an unprecedented loss tonight by not even being allowed to run in the Republican Primary,» Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after midnight.
«This is the first time such a thing has ever happened to a sitting U.S. Senator!» the president continued. «That’s what you get by voting to Impeach an innocent man, especially one who made it possible for Cassidy’s Senate win.»
Cassidy failed to advance in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary Saturday night, finishing behind Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming. Letlow and Fleming will face each other in a June 27 runoff after no candidate cleared a majority.
TRUMP SCORES MAJOR REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VICTORY AS CASSIDY OUSTED IN LOUISIANA
President Donald Trump points at Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who has voted against Trump and Republicans during his time in the House. (Win McNamee/Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Trump used Cassidy’s defeat as a warning shot against Massie, who Trump has called a «grand-stander» for having voted against his agenda in the House since 2020.
«Very disloyal, but Tom Massie, a major Sleazebag, is even worse!» Trump’s scathing post continued. «Kentucky, get this LOSER out of politics in Tuesday’s Election. He is nicknamed Rand Paul Jr., another real ‘beauty,’ because of his absolutely terrible voting habits.
«Vote for Ed Gallrein, a successful Kentucky farmer, and American War Hero, who only ran because he thought that Massie was so disloyal and disrespectful to your President, ME!
TRUMP CONTINUES LAMBASTING INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE AS CHALLENGER FILES TO ENTER RACE
«This is a great man, Central Casting, in fact, who truly deserves to represent the fantastic people of Kentucky, a Commonwealth that I am proud to have won all three times, in record fashion!
«ED WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!»
Massie is facing Gallrein in the Republican primary for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District on Tuesday. The race has become one of the highest-profile GOP House primaries of the cycle, with Trump endorsing Gallrein in an effort to deny Massie another term.
MAVERICK HOUSE REPUBLICAN IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS TOUTS RECORD CAMPAIGN CASH HAUL
The president’s attack followed several posts celebrating Cassidy’s defeat in Louisiana.
«A BIG NIGHT IN POLITICS. THANK YOU TO ALL!» Trump wrote in a separate Truth Social post.
Cassidy was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump after the Jan. 6 election protest in Trump’s second impeachment trial. Trump called Cassidy «disloyal» and said his «political career is OVER!»
Trump also congratulated Letlow, saying she ran a «fantastic race» and would «make a brilliant Senator» after «taking care of some additional business.» Letlow led Saturday’s primary, while Fleming placed second and Cassidy finished third.
PATRIOT OR ‘PATHETIC RINO’? MAVERICK REPUBLICAN THOMAS MASSIE TRADES ‘AMERICA FIRST’ LABEL FOR ‘AMERICA ONLY’
The president’s focus quickly shifted back to Kentucky, where Massie has survived past pressure campaigns from Trump but is now facing a well-funded primary challenge in the final stretch.
Massie has represented Kentucky’s 4th District since 2012. The district stretches across northern Kentucky and is heavily Republican, making the GOP primary the decisive contest in most election cycles.
Trump’s feud with Massie has intensified over the past year. Trump called for Massie to be primaried after the congressman opposed a short-term government funding bill in March 2025, pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and opposing his decision to go to war with Iran.
«Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my reelection,» Massie shot back at Trump last year.
MTG DEFENDS HERSELF AS ‘AMERICA FIRST’ AFTER TRUMP SLAMS HER ON TRUTH SOCIAL
Trump also targeted Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., for supporting Massie, calling her «Weak Minded» and suggesting he would consider withdrawing his endorsement if a challenger entered the race against her in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District.
«Boebert is campaigning for the Worst «Republican» Congressman in the History of our Country, Thomas Massie, of the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and anybody who can be that dumb deserves a good Primary fight!» Trump wrote in an earlier Saturday night Truth Social post.
«Even though I long ago endorsed Boebert, if the right person came along, it would be my Honor to withdraw that Endorsement, and endorse a good and proper alternative. Just let me know, or announce your Candidacy, and I will be there for you!»
Massie noted Trump is too late to call for a Boebert primary.
RAND PAUL PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR MASSIE AGAINST TRUMP-BACKED CHALLENGER: ‘I’M GOING TO HELP HIM’
«I’ve seen people calling for primary challengers against Boebert online since she got here [Friday],» Massie told reporters after his Kentucky campaign rally Saturday. «Her primary is already closed. So they can call for that. It’s too late.
«And Rand Paul’s not on the ballot this year. You’re going to have to wait two whole years. So I think he should be mending fences with these folks, not trying to burn bridges.»
Trump began the night warning about Boebert and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., stumping for Massie.
«Word is that Rand Paul and Lauren Boebert, two very difficult, and highly unreasonable, Republican Votes, are right now in the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, which I won by 31 points, parading around like fools for the Worst «Republican» Congressman in the History of our Party!» Trump wrote on Truth Social hours before the Cassidy defeat, blasting Massie as «a disloyal, ungracious, and sanctimonious FOOL, who almost never votes for even the best of Republican Values.»
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«The man running against Massie, Ed Gallrein, is a true American Patriot, a Farmer from Kentucky, and a Military Hero. He is loyal, and MAGA all the way — VOTE FOR ED GALLREIN, AND WIPE AWAY THE STENCH OF ONE OF THE WORST CONGRESSMEN IN THE HISTORY OF OUR GREAT PARTY, THOMAS MASSIE. MAY WE NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM AGAIN!»
mitt romney, republicans, donald trump, mitch mcconnell, rand paul
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