Afghan refugees are becoming stuck in a deadly no man's land between the border of Belarus and Poland, with little to no help or supplies after fleeing the Taliban.
The area is known as the 'red zone', a bleak unforgiving strip of land on the border between the two countries where access to food and water is practically non-existent and aid workers are usually denied access.
Fences and roads on the Polish side were reinforced by at least 140 British Royal Engineers from December who were not combat troops but "guys with diggers".
In the red zone, at least 19 people are reported to have died while human rights group Human Rights Watch has been told of cases of rape, extortion, severe beatings and lifeless bodies being found.
The Mirror has spoken to a group of ex-Afghan National Army soldiers who worked closely with NATO forces and US troops, stuck in the red zone.
They claimed they were forced back by Polish border guards and beaten by those on the Belarusian side, their money and phones stolen after arriving from a gruelling journey through Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.
Returning home is not an option thanks to a ruling Taliban force that would likely kill them due to their work. One even explained how he was forced to escape his own home through the roof.
He said: "The Taliban came behind our house and I escaped from the roof of the house. I was warned and threatened. My father was arrested two or three times. [They] attacked our house [and] we fled Afghanistan."
At the time of writing, the men who also include a former prosecutor were hoping to cross the border legally with help from aid workers, charities, journalists and officials, but appear to have been taken again by Belarusian border guards.
The goal for refugees in the red zone is to enter Poland, but it is a country that does not want them.
Happy to take Ukrainian refugees running from Vladimir Putin's bombs, Polish guards remain hostile to Afghans trying to enter crossing this border. Further reports also allege cases of children being separated from their mothers.
Desperate refugees attempt to cross by resorting to holes in the fences. A network of underground volunteers is attempting to help them cross, but they face charges of sedition which can carry penalties of several years.
One such volunteer who remains under threat from these charges told the Mirror: "When it comes to injuries, we usually deal with cases of beatings [and] rape. There are women who are pregnant, sick children [or] broken limbs or sprains sustained while escaping from the border guards.
"We are activists, volunteers. It is harder to bring humanitarian aid, we are harassed, intimidated with fines and other reactions from the authorities."
The difference between how Afghan and Ukrainian refugees are received is stark according to the volunteer.
The volunteer added: "When in Ukraine a volunteer brings help, he is a hero. [When I enter the forest] I am... a man of an inferior kind, of a worse God."
"This is a lawless zone, they do what they want."
Belarus, led by Vladimir Putin puppet Aleksandr Lukashenko, stands accused of deliberately attempting to create a hostile environment for refugees and sending them west to destabilise Europe. In response, the Poles built fences and guard posts right across the border.
Royal Engineers were present at the border helping to give "non-combat support". The aim was to "assist Polish efforts to protect their border and pass on vital engineering expertise", according to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
He said in December: "Our commitment to European security is unwavering and we will always offer support to our allies."
The Ministry of Defence indicated they were unable to go into any operational detail for security reasons, but said "UK personnel have moved off this task now" and they "mostly supported reinforcing the roads as opposed to repairing the fencing."
