Poland to reinforce border with Belarus with 10,000 soldiers

Rzeczpospolita reported the information.

"We are moving the army closer to the border with Belarus to scare away the aggressor so that they do not dare to attack us," Błaszczak said.

The Polish leadership intends to almost double the number of its regular army in the near future amid the activity of Wagner PMC in Belarus.

"About 10,000 soldiers will be on the border, of which 4,000 will directly support the border guard service, and 6,000 will be in reserve," the Polish defense minister said.

How the Wagner soldiers ended up in Belarus

After the mutiny of Wagner PMC leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in late June, the Kremlin announced the relocation of Wagner mercenaries to Belarus.

On June 27, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko confirmed the arrival of Yevgeny Prigozhin in the country. According to him, Wagner mercenaries  who arrived with him will not guard the Russian tactical nuclear weapons deployed there. However, Lukashenko emphasized that he expects the mercenaries to help in the defense of Belarus, without specifying the potential source of the country's perceived threat.

Later, on July 23, self-appointed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko announced the desire of the mercenaries from the Russian Wagner PMC to "go on an excursion" to Poland. The same day, it was reported that the tenth column of Wagner's mercenaries, which included at least ten pieces of equipment, had arrived in Belarus.

On July 25, the 11th column of Wagner's mercenaries arrived in Belarus, this time with armored vehicles. The convoy included at least 29 vehicles. It was also revealed  who led them in Belarus.

On July 27, the National Resistance Center reported that Wagner PMC units were looking for people in Belarus who were ready to fight against Lithuania and Poland. Also the same day Belarusian Hajun monitoring group reported that the twelfth column of Wagner's PMC, which included at least 50 pieces of equipment, had arrived in Belarus.

On July 28, the Center for National Resistance warned that Wagner mercenaries were preparing provocations on the border of Belarus with the EU. Also that day, the 13th column of mercenaries was spotted in Belarus.

On July 29, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that over 100 Wagner mercenaries had headed to the Suwalki corridor. Poland and Lithuania were considering closing their borders with Belarus due to concerns about the presence of Wagner mercenaries.

On August 3, Wagner PMC mercenaries settled in Belarus near the border with Lithuania, in the city of Grodno. President Gitanas Nausėda is concerned about the security situation.

On August 4, media reported that Lithuania planed to close two of the six border crossing points with Belarus to reduce the risk of provocations and threats at the border.  

On August 6, on the Latvian-Belarusian state border, border guards from Belarus helped four migrants get through the fence and illegally enter the neighboring country. Lithuania called it a provocation. 

On August 7, military exercises started in Belarus. The training grounds are located next to the Suwalki Corridor, a section between Poland and Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia's Kaliningrad region.

On August 8, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak granted the request of the Border Guard Commander and ordered additional soldiers to reinforce the border with Belarus.