Support for Polish uniformed services protecting the Polish-Belarusian border as a response to the repercussions of the operation ʻSluiceʼ in 2021

Key findings from this study

This research indicates that:

• Operation Sluice in 2021 employed migrant instrumentalization as hybrid warfare targeting Poland's eastern border.
• Polish uniformed services faced coordinated physical aggression and systematic discreditation campaigns during border operations.
• The nationwide campaign 'United behind the Polish uniform' mobilized domestic support to counter attacks on border service credibility.

Overview

This article examines support mechanisms for Polish uniformed services deployed to the Polish-Belarusian border during the 2021 migration crisis provoked by Operation Sluice. The work analyzes how Belarus and Russia instrumentalized migrants as a hybrid warfare tactic. It documents physical and psychological aggression directed at Polish border personnel. The article describes the nationwide social campaign 'United behind the Polish uniform' launched to counter discreditation efforts against these services.

Methods and approach

The article adopts a descriptive analytical approach to documenting the 2021 border crisis. It examines the instrumentalization of migrants as state policy by Belarus and Russia. The work identifies and describes uniformed services engaged in border protection operations. It catalogs forms of aggression encountered by Polish personnel during Operation Sluice. The analysis incorporates examination of the social campaign organized in response to attacks on border service credibility.

Results

Operation Sluice represented a coordinated effort to weaponize migration flows against Poland's eastern border. Polish uniformed services became targets of both physical attacks and systematic discreditation campaigns. The hybrid warfare tactics combined direct aggression with information operations aimed at undermining public confidence in border security personnel.

The nationwide campaign 'United behind the Polish uniform' emerged as a domestic response to these pressures. The initiative sought to counteract negative portrayals and provide social backing for border services. The article documents specific manifestations of aggression encountered during the operation and the organizational structure of support mobilized through the campaign.

Implications

The 2021 crisis demonstrates how state actors can exploit migration as an asymmetric weapon against neighboring countries. Belarus and Russia successfully created operational pressure through coordinated movement of migrants while simultaneously conducting information warfare. This dual approach targeted both border infrastructure capacity and domestic political cohesion within Poland.

The emergence of organized domestic support campaigns reflects recognition that hybrid threats require societal resilience beyond purely security responses. The instrumentalization of migrants poses challenges extending beyond border management to include maintenance of institutional legitimacy under propaganda attack. Future border security planning must account for integrated defense against both physical incursions and coordinated discreditation efforts targeting personnel credibility and morale.

Scope and limitations

This summary is based on the study abstract and available metadata. It does not include a full analysis of the complete paper, supplementary materials, or underlying datasets unless explicitly stated. Findings should be interpreted in the context of the original publication.