Poland moves 1,000 troops to border with Belarus, amid Wagner fears
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A view from Belarus' side of the frontier with Poland shows Polish and European Union flags behind a fence at the Bruzgi-Kuznica checkpoint.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WARSAW – Poland began moving more than 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said, amid rising concern in the Nato member nation that the presence of Wagner fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on the border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to offer mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner Group the choice of relocating to Belarus has led to fears among eastern Nato members that their presence will cause greater instability in the region.
“Over 1,000 soldiers and almost 200 units of equipment from the 12th and 17th Mechanised Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country,” Mr Blaszczak wrote on Twitter.
“This is a demonstration of our readiness to respond to attempts at destabilisation near the border of our country.”
On July 2, Poland said it would send 500 police officers to shore up security
Poland has seen an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross the border in recent weeks. According to the border guard, more than 200 people tried to cross illegally on Friday, including citizens of Morocco, India and Ethiopia.
Poland has accused Belarus of artificially creating a migrant crisis on the border since 2021
A senior Wagner commander was quoted as saying on Saturday that mercenaries from the group were preparing to move
Poland has seen an increase in the number of migrants trying to cross the Belarus border in recent weeks.
PHOTO: REUTERS
