Current:Home > MarketsPoland to send 10,000 soldiers to Belarus border as tension rises amid Russia's war in Ukraine-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Poland to send 10,000 soldiers to Belarus border as tension rises amid Russia's war in Ukraine
View Date:2024-12-23 21:02:21
Poland intends to put 10,000 soldiers along its border with Belarus, the country's defense minister said Thursday as Warsaw worried about the presence of Russian-linked Wagner Group mercenaries in Belarus and migrants trying to cross the border without authorization.
Separately, the Polish military said it was searching an area near the border with Belarus for a lost fuse from a missile, but that it posed no threat because "the detonator has built-in protections." The fuse was lost during "intensive activities using specialized equipment to ensure security," the military said.
"On Tuesday, after the end of combat flights, one of the helicopters carrying out a patrol in the border area was found to have no fuse in one of the missiles. The flight was carried out along the border strip and did not take place over built-up areas," the military said in a statement, appealing to residents to alert police if they saw the missing item.
Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said 10,000 soldiers would ultimately be deployed to the border area. He made the announcement in a state radio interview a day after a different official said Poland was sending 2,000 additional troops to the border over the next two weeks, essentially doubling its military presence there.
The soldiers are being deployed to reinforce the work of police and Border Guard officers.
For two years, Poland has contended with migrants arriving at the border from Belarus trying to enter the country illegally. The government in Poland and other countries along NATO's eastern flank have accused President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, an ally of Russia, of opening the migration route in an act of "hybrid warfare" aimed at creating instability in the West.
- Belarus says it now has Russian nuclear weapons on its soil
Poland is also worried about the presence of Wagner group fighters who deployed to Belarus after a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June. Anxieties were further heightened last week when two Belarusian military helicopters briefly entered Polish air space, something Warsaw viewed as a deliberate provocation.
With parliamentary elections in Poland scheduled for Oct. 15, the conservative ruling party, Law and Justice, has tried to demonstrate that it is serious about security as it seeks an unprecedented third term.
A NATO official said earlier this week as Belarus began military training drills near its border with Poland that the Western military alliance was monitoring the situation in Belarus but did not see an immediate threat.
"NATO has significantly increased its defensive presence in the eastern part of the alliance in response to Russia's aggressive actions, and we continue to do what is necessary to deter any threat and protect every inch of allied territory," NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said Monday.
"We do not see any direct or imminent military threat posed by Wagner mercenaries to our allies, but we remain vigilant," Lungescu added.
- In:
- Wagner Group
- Belarus
- War
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Migrants
- Poland
veryGood! (35)
Related
- As the transition unfolds, Trump eyes one of his favorite targets: US intelligence
- Teen Mom's Gary Shirley Posts Rare Photo of His and Ex Amber Portwood's 14-Year-Old Daughter Leah
- Teen in custody in fatal stabbing of NYC dancer O'Shae Sibley: Sources
- Biggest search for Loch Ness Monster in over 50 years looks for volunteers
- Maine dams face an uncertain future
- Niger’s junta rulers ask for help from Russian group Wagner as it faces military intervention threat
- Ukrainians move to North Dakota for oil field jobs to help families facing war back home
- Baby monitor recall: Philips Avent recalls monitors after batteries can cause burns, damage
- NFL power rankings Week 11: Steelers, Eagles enjoying stealthy rises
- Musk says his cage fight with Zuckerberg will be streamed on X
Ranking
- TikToker Campbell “Pookie” Puckett Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Jett Puckett
- GM confirms future wage hike for UAW members, but other demands 'threaten' company health
- 11 hurt when school bus carrying YMCA campers crashes in Idaho
- Looking to buy Mega Millions tickets? You won't be able to in these 5 states
- 'Dangerous and unsanitary' conditions at Georgia jail violate Constitution, feds say
- Man who tried to enter Jewish school with a gun fired twice at a construction worker, police say
- Musk says his cage fight with Zuckerberg will be streamed on X
- Crammed with tourists, Alaska’s capital wonders what will happen as its magnificent glacier recedes
Recommendation
-
Biden funded new factories and infrastructure projects, but Trump might get to cut the ribbons
-
Police search for 17-year-old California girl missing for a month
-
The FDA approves the first pill specifically intended to treat postpartum depression
-
Save on the Season's Best Styles During the SKIMS End of Summer Sale
-
My Little Pony finally hits the Toy Hall of Fame, alongside Phase 10 and Transformers
-
Sofia Vergara Sparkles in Pinstriped Style on Girls' Night Out at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour Show
-
2 Navy sailors arrested, accused of providing China with information
-
Gas prices rising again: See the top 10 states where gas is cheapest and most expensive