Poland will defend its Belarus border with Apache helicopters, Abrams tanks

This statement was made by the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Poland, Mariusz Błaszczak , Polish Radio reports.

"The US Congress will decide next week about our request for Apache attack helicopters. The Abrams tanks and Apaches will create a strong barrier at the Brest Gate," explained the leader of the Polish Defense Ministry.

He clarified that the "Brest Gate" is a flat area near Brest, which is the border with Belarus. It's about 80 kilometers wide, between the Narew and the Bug rivers.

The point is that the combination of Abrams tanks and Apaches makes a barrier that cannot be passed through, emphasized Błaszczak.

The minister also talked about K2 Black Panther tanks from South Korea, FA-50 fighter jets, and the HIMARS highly mobile artillery system. These weapons will boost Polish security towards the Brest direction.

"After 18 years, we've brought back the 1st Missile Brigade," he added.

He highlighted that Poland is making weapons using its own defense industry and factories from allied nations.

Last year, in 2022, the Polish Ministry of Defense announced the plan to buy 96 Apache helicopters. By May 2023, an agreement was reached with the US.

• Earlier, it was revealed that Poland has 2000 military personnel on its northeastern border with Belarus, rather than the originally planned thousand. Warsaw's concern is focused on Russian mercenaries from the Wagner PMC, the Belarusian army trained by Wagner, and the possibility of the Russian army using Belarus as a base to attack Poland.

• On July 23, the self-proclaimed Belarusian president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, mentioned the Wagner fighters’ intention to go on an "excursion" to Warsaw and Rzeszów.