Poland Says Wagner Mercenaries May Try to Cross From Belarus

(Bloomberg) -- Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warned that Wagner mercenary forces may attempt to enter his country from neighboring Belarus along with illegal migrants, the latest sign of potential tensions between the two nations.

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The possibility of such a move by the private Russian military company has alarmed the government in Warsaw, which sent additional troops to reinforce Poland’s eastern border. It’s also planning to expand a wall there to prevent illegal crossings.

“We have information that more than 100 of Wagner mercenaries have moved in the direction of Suwalki Gap, near Grodno” in western Belarus, Morawiecki told reporters in Gliwice on Saturday. He described it as a step toward a “hybrid attack on the Polish territory.”

Read more: Putin Warns Poland Over ‘Aggression’ Against Ally Belarus

Poland, a member of both the European Union and NATO, sits in a strategic position geographically, with Russia’s war in Ukraine unfolding directly to its east. While it has been one of Kyiv’s biggest supporters in the conflict, Poland has shown no intention to take unilateral, unprovoked military action.

Wagner mercenaries have moved into Belarus under a deal ending the aborted mutiny last month by the group’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Morawiecki said its fighters may dress up as Belarusian border guards to assist migrants trying to cross into Poland. He has accused Russia and Belarus of supporting crossings in an attempt to destabilize the country.

Morawiecki’s government is facing a general election in the fall, and opinion polls show that the ruling party may fall short of a majority in parliament. The premier has tried to portray main opposition leader Donald Tusk as being soft on Russia.

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