Poland moves its troops from Belarus over Wagner risk

Last year in February, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had far-reaching consequences for people and economies worldwide. Recent developments indicate a looming threat of the conflict spreading and potentially engulfing more nations.

Among the countries facing this threat is Poland, which is experiencing the impact of the reported presence of Wagner mercenaries near its border. On Friday, the state-run news agency PAP quoted Zbigniew Hoffmann, the secretary of Poland’s security committee, stating that the committee decided in a meeting on Wednesday to relocate military units to the country’s east due to the Wagner Group’s presence in Belarus.

Despite claims that Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had returned to Russia, a video on Wednesday showed him welcoming his fighters to Belarus. In the same video, he informed them that they would not participate further in the Ukraine war for now and that they should prepare for activities in Africa while training the Belarusian army.

The Belarusian defense ministry revealed on Thursday that the Wagner mercenaries had begun training Belarusian special forces at a military range near the NATO member Poland’s border. This development has raised concerns among analysts, who have noted that any attack on a NATO member would trigger a collective defense response from the alliance. This means that if one NATO ally is attacked, it would be considered an attack on all NATO allies, potentially leading to crisis-management operations.

Zbigniew Hoffmann expressed concern about the training and joint exercises of the Belarusian army with the Wagner Group, deeming it a provocation. In response to the potential threats, Poland’s Minister of National Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, made the decision to move military formations from the west to the east of the country.

Adding to the tension, a military reconnaissance drone reportedly crashed in southwestern Poland late on Tuesday, as reported by the private broadcaster RMF FM. The drone was discovered in woods near the village of Trzebien after an emergency call from a passer-by who witnessed the object crashing in the area. The incident occurred near a military training facility.

These developments underscore the escalating tensions and the need for cautious and strategic actions by nations in the region to prevent further escalation of the conflict.