As the migrant crisis escalates, Russia sends nuclear-capable bombers to Belarus

In a rare move, Russia sent two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to patrol Belarus' airspace, as a sign of support for its close ally, which is locked in a migrant standoff with the European Union.

Russia took the rare step of sending two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to patrol Belarus' airspace on Wednesday, as a sign of support for a close ally embroiled in a migrant standoff with the European Union.

Moscow's decision to escalate the situation came as the 27-nation European Union considered imposing sanctions on Wednesday to punish Minsk for what it calls an artificial crisis, something Belarus denies.

Warsaw said the migrants stranded in Belarus had several times tried to force entry into Poland during the night, and said it had beefed up the border with more guards.

Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on countries to calm down and resolve the "unacceptable" crisis.

"These hundreds of men, women and children should not have to spend another night in freezing weather without proper shelter, food, water and medical care," she said.

The European Union, which has long imposed sanctions on Belarus for human rights abuses, accuses Minsk of attracting migrants from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa and then pushing them to cross into Poland in an attempt to wreak violent chaos on the bloc's eastern flank.

The ambassadors of the 27 member states of the European Union agreed on Wednesday that this amounts to a "hybrid war" on the part of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and this is a legal basis for imposing new sanctions.

"We are facing a brutal hybrid attack on the borders of the European Union. Belarus is weaponizing the plight of migrants in a malicious and shocking way," said European Council President Charles Michel.

Belarus and its ally Russia blame Europe, which the Kremlin accuses of not living up to its humanitarian ideals and of trying to "strangle" Belarus with plans to close part of the border. She said it was unacceptable for the European Union to impose sanctions on Belarus because of the crisis.

The two bombers sent by Russia over Belarusian airspace, the Tu-22M3, are capable of carrying hypersonic nuclear missiles designed to evade sophisticated Western air defenses.