Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has expressed concerns about the presence of mercenaries from the Wagner group, a Russian private security company, near the Polish border in Belarus.
According to Morawiecki, over 100 Wagner mercenaries are advancing towards Russia's Kaliningrad region, situated between Lithuania and Poland on the Baltic Sea coast.
The Prime Minister has warned that this development poses a significant risk, potentially leading to hybrid attacks on Polish soil. His concerns are shared by Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski, who recently mentioned the possibility of jointly closing the borders of Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia to Belarus in case of serious incidents involving Wagner.
The founder of the Wagner group, Yevgeniy Prigojin, led an armed rebellion against the Russian administration in June, with his fighters, which was ultimately quelled with the intervention of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
After the conflict, Lukashenko suggested that Wagner settle in Belarus, and he also expressed interest in benefiting from the experience of Wagner fighters for the Belarusian army.
Prigojin confirmed on July 19 that his mercenaries had arrived in Belarus and pledged support to the Belarusian army if needed.
In response to the perceived threat posed by the Wagner group, the Polish Ministry of Defense has decided to relocate troops to the Belarusian border to address the potential security challenges. The situation remains tense, and Polish authorities are closely monitoring the developments in the region.
