Poland plans to eventually deploy around 10,000 troops to protect its eastern border with Belarus, an ally of Moscow, as a “deterrent,” Poland’s defense minister announced on Thursday.
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“There will be about 10,000 soldiers, of which 4,000 will be deployed directly in support of the border police and another 6,000 will be used as reinforcements,” Mariusz Blaszczak told public broadcaster.
The day before, the minister had announced the deployment of 2,000 additional troops to reinforce the border with Belarus within two weeks, adding to the 2,000 troops already stationed in the area.
NATO member Poland recently warned of impending provocations from Belarus and the possible dangers posed by the Russian mercenary group Wagner stationed there. Warsaw also accuses Minsk and Moscow of staging a new influx of migrants into the European Union in order to destabilize the region.
According to the Polish Border Guard, 19,000 migrants have attempted to enter Poland since the beginning of the year, compared to 16,000 for all of 2022. Over the past month, more than 4,000 migrants have attempted to cross the Polish border.