In response to accusing Russia’s ally Belarus of violating its airspace using military helicopters, Poland swiftly deployed additional troops to its eastern border on Tuesday (August 1).
According to a statement from Poland’s defense ministry, it sent “additional forces and resources, including combat helicopters,” to the border and informed NATO about the alleged intrusion. The ministry also sought an explanation from Belarus’s chargé d’affaires.
Belarus denied the claims and accused Warsaw of fabricating accusations as a pretext for a military build-up on the border. Interestingly, Poland initially denied any border violation but later changed its statement after “consultations” and concluded that the intrusion had occurred at a very low height, making it hard to intercept by radar.
The Belarusian defense ministry dismissed Poland’s claims as an “old wives’ tale” and asserted that there were no border violations by its Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters.
The tensions escalated when Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko mockingly said that Wagner fighters stationed in Belarus were eager to “go on a trip to Warsaw,” causing concern in the NATO-member country.
Notably, an unspecified number of Wagner forces had moved to Belarus after an alleged mutiny episode in Russia. They have been reportedly training Lukashenko’s army in Belarus since then. During a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Lukashenko joked that some of the fighters were keen to press into Poland and Ukraine.
Amid these threats, Poland has started deploying about 1,000 troops on its eastern border to strengthen security.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki had stated that a group of 100 fighters had moved closer to the Polish border, significantly increasing security concerns for Warsaw.
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