Russia “concerned” over Poland’s plans to bolster its forces along Belarus border
- 23 July, 15:51
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Poland against possible aggression against Kremlin’s ally Belarus. Putin made the remarks on Friday, following Warsaw’s announcement that it would move troops to the east of the country amid Wagner mercenaries’ presence in Belarus.
“Unleashing aggression against Belarus would mean aggression against the Russian Federation,” Putin said during the Security Council’s meeting, adding, “we will respond to it using all means at our disposal.” Poland’s security council on Thursday announced its decision to move troops to the country’s east in response to the presence of “Wagner” private military company in Belarus.
Addressing a local media, security official Zbigniew Hoffmanna, described the joint exercises of the Belarusian army and the Wagner group as a “provocation”, adding that the minister of national defence, chairman of the committee, Mariusz Błaszczak, decided to move our military formations from the west to the east of Poland” after analyzing possible threats, such as dislocation of Wagner group units.
Mercenaries from Russia’s “Wagner” private military company have been holding military drills for Belarusian troops at a military training ground in western Belarus, about 10km from a border crossing with neighboring Poland. “Wagner” group members began arriving in Belarus last week in line with the agreement reached between Wagner leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin and Vladimir Putin in June following the short-lived mutiny in which the mercenary group attempted to march to Moscow. The deal had been mediated by Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko.
