Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak has announced his country will deploy additional troops to the border with Belarus to support the Border Guard.
“About 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, of which 4,000 will directly support the Border Guard and 6,000 will be in reserve,” the minister said.
Błaszczak said the country is moving the army closer to the border with Belarus to scare away the aggressor so that it does not dare to attack.
Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander Lukashenko.
A Polish general has warned attack helicopters are stationed at the Belarus border and their crews will not hesitate to use weapons if required. The Polish Defence Minister has also highlighted “the need to expand [Poland’s] military presence” on the border with Belarus. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said provocative actions could be expected to intensify.
Poland and Lithuania have increased border security since thousands of Wagner fighters arrived in Russian-allied Belarus under a deal that ended their armed rebellion in late June and allowed them and their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to avoid criminal charges.