Poland to increase troop presence along Belarus border to 10,000

Poland will increase its military presence on its border with Belarus to 10,000 troops following the arrival of Russian Wagner company mercenaries in the country, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced on Aug. 10.

"There will be about 10,000 soldiers – 4,000 will be soldiers directly involved in the operation to support the Border Guard at the border, and another 6,000 will be in reserve," he said.

Read also: Nervous Poland will send more troops to the border with Belarus

Blaszczak added that these soldiers will "improve their skills there, in the garrisons recreated in the east of the country."

After the failed mutiny attempt in Russia, some Wagner mercenaries ended up in Belarus by agreement with the self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko.

Read also: Minsk and Moscow are provoking Poland

On July 23, during a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko said that the Wagner units were "stressing him out" because they allegedly wanted to attack Poland. But later he clarified that he was joking.

On July 29, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that more than 100 mercenaries of the Wagner mercenary company had set off toward the Suwalki corridor near the Belarusian city of Grodno.

He called such actions "a dangerous situation" and "a step towards a further hybrid attack on Poland."

The prime minister suggested that Wagner mercenaries would disguise themselves as Belarusian border guards and help illegal migrants enter Poland. In addition, Morawiecki suggested that mercenaries could begin to enter Polish territory under the guise of illegal migrants, which would create "additional risks."

Read also: Polish PM concerned that Wagner mercenaries in Belarus could infiltrate Poland

On Aug. 7, Belarus began military drills near the border with Poland and Lithuania. The countries are preparing to strengthen their borders with Belarus. The two EU states also decided to close some border crossing points.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine