Shoigu sees threat
Russia wants to strengthen troops on “western borders”.
08/09/2023 3:41 p.m
For months now, Russia has been sending tens of thousands of soldiers west: to Ukraine. But Moscow doesn’t seem to feel any more secure. Defense Minister Shoigu announces that troops will be strengthened on the western borders. However, it is unclear: Where do these run?
Amid the war against Ukraine, Russia plans to strengthen its “western borders.” According to the Interfax news agency, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a meeting with colleagues from the ministry in Moscow that he wanted to discuss “strengthening the troop formations of the Russian Federation army on our western borders.”
The minister did not explain which areas he meant exactly. As a result of the war, Russia illegally annexed several Ukrainian regions. According to Moscow’s logic, parts of Russia’s “western borders” therefore run in the attacked neighboring country. Shoigu’s words could also mean that Russia wants to send more troops into the combat zone.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had around 300,000 recruits drafted for combat use last fall. Since then, many Russians fear that there could be another wave of mobilization in the future. The maximum draft age for conscripts was recently raised by three years.
Once again, Shoigu portrayed Russia as an alleged victim and spoke of an increased threat in the west and north. He also referred to the relatively new NATO membership of the northern neighbor Finland. This had been in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Poland sends 2,000 more soldiers to the border
Poland also announced troop reinforcements at the border – in the direction of Belarus. It wants to reinforce the border with another 2,000 soldiers, twice as many as the border guards had requested. The soldiers would arrive at the border in the next two weeks, Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik told the PAP news agency. At the beginning of the week, border guards asked for 1,000 more soldiers.
Like Lithuania, Poland is concerned about the activities of Russian Wagner mercenaries in Belarus. EU and NATO member Poland shares a 418-kilometer border with Belarus. According to earlier information, 5,000 Polish border guards and 2,000 soldiers are already deployed there. They should also get help from 500 police officers.
Poland has feared provocation since troops from mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private army set up camp in Belarus after a failed uprising against Moscow. According to the leadership in Minsk, the Wagner fighters are supposed to train the Belarusian army.
Polish general speaks of scaremongering
Poland is currently in election campaign mode, and a new parliament will be elected on October 15. The former commander of the land forces, General Waldemar Skrzypczak, accused the national conservative PIS government of scaremongering. “We should be aware of the fact that they will not invade us. They have no chance and they know it,” Skrzypczak told the Rzeczpospolita newspaper, referring to the Wagner fighters. The idea that a few hundred Wagner fighters would attack the so-called Suwalki gap is laughable.
NATO describes a corridor on Polish and Lithuanian territory between Belarus and Kaliningrad as the “Suwalki Gap”. By capturing it, Russia could cut the Baltic states off from the rest of NATO. The corridor is named after the Polish town of Suwalki.