On the border with Belarus
Poland braces itself for provocations by Wagner mercenaries
7/20/2023 3:41 p.m
The presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus is causing concern in Poland. The situation is being closely monitored, explains Warsaw. Military exercises are currently underway to “be able to respond to any attempt at destabilization”.
After the transfer of mercenaries from the Russian private army Wagner to a military training ground in neighboring Belarus, Poland fears provocations on its eastern border. The Ministry of Defense in Warsaw said it was closely monitoring the situation. One is ready for “different scenarios”. An exercise involving two brigades is already underway to demonstrate Poland’s “absolute ability” to respond immediately to any attempt at destabilization.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry had previously announced that Wagner mercenaries were training soldiers at the border. A “tactical exercise” lasting several days is taking place on a training ground near the city of Brest. The training ground is just a few kilometers from the border with Poland. Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said: “Belarus has already carried out attacks on our border with the help of groups of illegal migrants.” Further attacks are conceivable, “possibly using various military or paramilitary formations”.
The Kremlin, in turn, expressed concern about the exercise of Polish troops. This is of course a reason for increased attention, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. EU and NATO member Poland shares a 418-kilometer border with Belarus. The situation there escalated in 2021: Thousands of people tried to enter the EU illegally. The European Union accused the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko of having organized migrants from crisis regions to the EU’s external border in order to put pressure on the West.