Lukashenko walks back threatening Poland with a Wagner incursion
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Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko said he was merely "joking" when he suggested that the Wagner Group private military company (PMC) mercenaries were eager to invade Poland, Belarusian state news agency BELTA reported on Aug. 1.
Lukashenko had previously raised concerns during a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, alleging that the Wagner fighters "worried him" due to their supposed plans to attack Poland.
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According to BELTA, Lukashenko stated that he had "joked that the Wagner mercenaries were whispering among themselves: let's go sightseeing in Rzeszów [Poland].”
Lukashenko further said that Polish authorities should be “thankful” to him for keeping Wagner mercenaries in check and contained in Belarus.
“There are more than just a thousand [Wagner fighters]; I don't even want to disclose the number,” he said.
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“Today, they have over 30,000 people under their command. These are guys primed for war and with a chip on their shoulder. Many are wounded or dead. Will they forgive? They won't... So, let them [the Poles] hope that we continue to contain and somehow provide for them. Otherwise, they could infiltrate Poland and cause trouble in both Rzeszów and Warsaw... Instead of accusations, they should thank me.”
Read also: New Wagner location discovered in Belarus, mercenaries using old military warehouses
On July 20, Poland's Defense Minister, Mariusz Blaszczak, announced that his country had deployed a part of its forces to the eastern border following the arrival of the Wagner PMC mercenaries in Belarus. Germany's Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, stated that his country would support Poland in the event of an attack by the Wagner PMC from Belarus.
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