Poland bolsters its border with Belarus
Poland will deploy five hundred police officers to its border with Belarus, the country’s Interior Minister has said.
Polish-Belarusian border as seen in Usnarz Górny, 1 July 2023. Photo: PAP/Artur Reszko
„Due to the tense situation on the border with Belarus I have decided to bolster our forces with five hundred Polish police officers from riot and counter-terrorism units.,” Mariusz Kamiński wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
„They will join 5,000 border guards and 2,000 soldiers guarding the security of that border,” he added.
The Polish Border Guard on Sunday reported that 187 people tried to cross into Poland from Belarus illegally on Saturday.
On Wednesday, deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński announced that Poland will put more personnel and physical reinforcements at its eastern border in response to plans for Russia’s Wagner Group of mercenaries to relocate to Belarus.
Meanwhile, in an interview with the Financial Times, the head of Poland’s National Security Bureau, Jacek Siewiera, said Wagner fighters relocated to neighbouring Belarus could use migrants from Africa and other countries, where the paramilitary group operates, to destabilise the region.
On Friday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian state services are meticulously scrutinising the intelligence pertaining to the military deployment of Wagner group units in neighbouring Belarus. He added he had taken action to enhance security at the country’s border with Belarus.
This year alone, Poland’s Border Guard has documented over 12,000 attempts of illegal border crossings.
(mo)
Source: PAP
