Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski announced that in case of “serious incidents involving the Wagner Group”, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia can jointly close their borders to Belarus.
In his statement to the press, Kaminski made assessments about the Wagner Group’s presence and security situation in Belarus.
Kaminski warned that in case of serious incidents involving the Wagner Group, they would close the borders to Lithuania, Latvia and Belarus, adding that this would “lead to the complete isolation of Belarus”.
The three countries in question closed some border gates with Belarus at the beginning of 2023 and increased the sanctions they imposed on the country.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, Deputy Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak visited the Polovian village on the border with Belarus on Thursday.
Kaczynski said in a statement here that Poland would do everything in its power to “repel provocations or aggression”.
Residents of the Polish town of Terespol, located 8 kilometers from the Belarusian border, reportedly heard gunshots and saw military helicopters regularly after Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries arrived in Brest, Belarus, just across the border.
BELARUS RECOMMENDED THE WAGNER GROUP TO RESIGN IN THE COUNTRY
Yevgeniy Prigojin, the founder of the Russian private security company Wagner, launched an armed rebellion against the Russian administration in June with his fellow fighters. The uprising ended with the intervention of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Lukashenko, who suggested that Wagner settle in the country after Prigojin went to Belarus, noted that the Belarusian army could benefit from the experience of the Wagner fighters.
Wagner’s founder, Prigojin, reported on July 19 that his mercenaries had arrived on Belarusian territory.
Prigojin, who promised to make the Belarusian army “the second army in the world”, expressed that they would stand by them if necessary.
Polish National Security Committee Official Zbigniew Hoffmann said in a statement on July 21 that the Ministry of Defense, which evaluated the threats posed by the Wagner presence, decided to shift the troops to the Belarusian border. (AA)