'It's all lies'; migrants stuck at Polish border feel cheated by people smugglers

Migrants prepare food at the transport and logistics centre Bruzgi on the Belarusian-Polish border, in the Grodno region, Belarus November 27, 2021. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel

ORLA/BIALYSTOK, Poland (Reuters) - Syrian friends Anas Kanaan, 34, and Mouein al-Hadi, 36, were told by people smugglers that they would easily be able to get to Germany from Belarus. They just had to pay 3,000 euros ($3,390) each to an intermediary in Turkey.

But the safe crossings from Belarus to Poland indicated by the smugglers were closed off. Then, after more than a week spent camping in freezing forests on the border, a smuggler led them to a Polish village in broad daylight where they were easily spotted by police, arrested and returned to Belarus.