Dr Paulina Bownik, a general practitioner volunteering amid the Poland-Belarus border crisis, warned that the obstacles and challenges of assisting migrants have increased significantly in recent weeks, speaking from Bialystok on Wednesday.

Bownik, who has been intervening to help migrants since August, said people trapped between Belarus and Poland are often beaten and mistreated by border forces. Among those she treated in the forests, many showed injuries from barbed wire placed at the border, as well as bruises, broken ribs, and twisted ankles. Many were also suffering from hypothermia.

The doctor, who confirmed that the Polish military had displayed aggression towards the doctors and activists, warned that with falling temperatures, people stranded in the forests "will not survive more than 24-48 hours," aggravating the crisis and making it "harder and harder for them, especially for women and pregnant women and for small children."

Since the Polish government implemented the three-kilometer zone along and across the border with Belarus in September, humanitarian aid and volunteers have been limited in their ability to assist in the crisis.