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Poland has worried increasingly about the border area since
hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner mercenaries arrived in
Belarus last month at the invitation of President Alexander
Lukashenko.
Belarus started military exercises near the border this week,
and Lukashenko said several times that he is restraining Wagner
fighters who want to attack Poland.
Poland has also seen an increase in the number of mainly Middle
Eastern and African migrants trying to cross the border in
recent months. For the past two years it has accused Belarus of
recruiting migrants in poor countries and sending them across
the border illegally to foment instability.
"This reinforcement will be not by 1,000, but by 2,000
soldiers," Maciej Wasik told PAP. "This decision was made by the
Security Committee, this decision was made by (Defence) Minister
Mariusz Blaszczak"
On Monday had Wasik said that the Border Guard was requesting an
additional 1,000 soldiers be deployed.
Wasik said that all attempts to illegally enter Poland by
migrants were now being organized by Belarusian authorities.
"If we had real border guards on the other side, and not
smuggling services, these crossings would not exist at all," he
said.
The Belarusian embassy in Warsaw did not immediately respond to
an emailed request for comment. Belarus started military
exercises near the border this week.
(Reporting by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by
Peter Graff)
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