Poland to deploy troops in response to Russia drills

Some 40,000 soldiers, up from around 10,000, will be deployed to Poland's eastern border in the coming days in response to the Russia-Belarus Zapad military exercises, which begin in Belarus on Sept. 12, the deputy minister of national defense said.

"Poland has been preparing for the Zapad-2025 exercises for many months. The Polish military conducted exercises in which over 30,000 soldiers participated," Cezary Tomczyk told television channel Polsat News late Wednesday.

"Polish and NATO soldiers are needed to adequately respond to Zapad-2025," Tomczyk said, adding that the Russian and Belarusian exercises are considered offensive. "This is where the war in Ukraine began. Therefore, the Polish military has been preparing for this. In the coming days, we will have approximately 40,000 soldiers on the border," he said.

Tomczyk went on to say that the violation of airspace by Russian drones on the night of Sept. 9-10 was linked to the Zapad-2025 military exercises. On the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, 19 drones intruded into Poland, and those that posed a threat were shot down.

A day after Russian drones violated Poland's borders, the Kremlin, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Ministry of Defense denied that the drones shot down in Poland belonged to the Russian military. Belarus, in turn, said that it had informed Poland and Lithuania about drones that "got lost."

Meanwhile, Ukraine has pledged to help Poland improve its warning system, and the European Union has condemned the violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas issued a statement on behalf of the 27 member states. "A serious escalation of Russia's actions, an aggressive and reckless act that threatens the security of EU citizens, regional stability, and international peace," the EU foreign policy chief said.