A high-ranking Polish official has warned of “Russian and Belarus growing aggressiveness” which affects the “external borders of NATO” and European countries.
The Polish Ambassador to the US warned NATO and European countries to expect “further provocation” from Minsk and Moscow.
Marek Magierowski told CNN, “We are committing more troops and more military equipment and we are deploying more units to that area because we consider it to be our obligation and our duty not only to defend ourselves but also to protect the external borders of NATO and the European Union in the face of Russian and Belarus’ growing aggressiveness.”
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The Polish authorities are sending 10,000 troops to the “dangerous frontier” on the Belarusian border to support thousands of border guards and other soldiers who are already there, the Ambassador said.
The Polish Ambassador said that both Belarus and Russia are engaging in “asymmetrical warfare” and that it is very unlikely that Poland is the on target.
Magierowski was asked what concerns are they seeing from Minsk and Moscow, he said, “Poland is the only country in Europe which borders those three neighbours – Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
“So we can imagine how volatile the geopolitical situation in the region has become recently, so we have to brace ourselves for further provocation – not only in Poland but also in Lithuania and other Baltic countries.”
He added, “Just a few weeks ago social [media] platforms in Poland were flooded with fake images of Wagner mercenaries penetrating into Poland and operating on Polish soil.
“Just this morning two Wagner operatives were detained by Polish authorities accused of distributing propaganda material in Warsaw among many other cities.”
Last month The Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told Public Radio, “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 the reserve.
“We move the army closer to the border with Belarus to scare away the aggressor so that it does not dare to attack us.”
The Kremlin has said that Poland’s move to bolster their defences on the border as “aggressive” and the spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move is a “cause for concern.”
Peskov told reporters, “Of course it is a cause for concern. The aggressiveness of Poland is a reality.
“Such a hostile attitude towards Belarus and the Russian Federation requires heightened attention [from our side].”
