Over the past year, Poland has provided necessary assistance, including work and residence permits, to 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees. However, just a few kilometers north, on the Belarusian border, refugees mainly from the Middle East and Africa face extremely harsh anti-immigration policies.

Since November 2021, thousands of these refugees have attempted to cross the Bialowieza Forest, the last remaining primeval forest in Europe. The forest, nicknamed “The Jungle” by some refugees, is a perilous and difficult place to traverse, particularly for those who are unfamiliar with the harsh climate of northeastern Europe. Many refugees become trapped in the forest for extended periods, where they face extreme conditions such as a lack of food and water, and a high risk of hypothermia and death during the winter. If caught by border guards, these refugees are usually forced to cross back the border, which involves being left in the woods on the Belarusian side at night without witnesses and with their phones destroyed to prevent communication with the outside world.

In July 2022, the Polish government completed the construction of a 183-kilometre wall along the border, which is 5.5 meters high and topped with razor wire. Its main objective is to prevent the entry of immigrants, but despite this, the migratory flows continue and the situation of the refugees in the Bialowieza Forest worsens. Since the beginning of the crisis, the Polish government has criminalized humanitarian assistance at this border, labeling those who provide it as "idiots and traitors." Despite this, a large part of the local population, together with volunteers from other parts of Poland and abroad, have been helping the refugees at great personal risk, including fines and arrests.

In the forest, the border guards have installed a significant number of camera traps to monitor movement, which make it challenging for refugees to move undetected. Additionally, the border guards have been obstructing access to medical help, making it difficult for refugees who need medical assistance. Moreover, the border area was hermetically closed for the first ten months, which prevented humanitarian organizations from accessing the region. Although this ban has been lifted, large organizations have not initiated any significant humanitarian activities in the area.