Poland Sending Additional 10,000 Troops To Belarus Border
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WARSAW (Worthy News) – Poland, a member of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, said Thursday it would send an additional 10,000 troops to its border with Belarus after an “incursion” by Belarusian military helicopters.
The move underscored mounting tensions between Poland and Belarus, an ally of Russia that recently placed several of Moscow’s tactical nuclear weapons on its territory.
It comes amid a worsening East-West standoff over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said on Thursday that 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.”
Speaking on Polish public radio, he warned Minsk that “We move the army closer to the border with Belarus to scare away the aggressor so that it does not dare to attack us.”
Poland’s government suggested that the troops were needed as on August 1, two military helicopters from Belarus flew at low altitude about two kilometers (1.2 miles) into Polish territory in the Bialowieza region.
‘OLD WIVES’ TALE’
Minsk denied wrongdoing saying there were “no border violations by Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters” and called the accusation an “old wives’ tale.”
Belarusian armed forces were reportedly conducting exercises in the border area at the time.
But the tensions between Minsk and Warsaw underscored worries that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which Belarus has supported, could spread into NATO nations such as Poland.
This reported military incursion comes on top of thousands of illegal border crossings into Poland from Belarus by migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty.
Poland claims that since 2021 Belarus has been encouraging people from the Middle East and Africa to travel to Belarus and cross the border illegally.
Although there are fewer crossings now than two years ago, Poland’s border guard says 19,000 migrants have tried crossing the border this year, and 16,000 did so last year.
Poland is also concerned about troops from Russia’s Wagner mercenary group in Belarus. They moved there following a failed mutiny against Russia’s military leadership in June.
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