Poland issued a new warning about the potential threat of Wagner Group attacks amid heightened tensions on the Belarusian border.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Paweł Jabłoński said in an interview with CNN on Friday that the Wagner “threat is very real” and alleged that Wagner forces have already attempted to attack Polish territory.
His remarks follow weeks of inflamed tensions between Poland and the Wagner Group, which previously fought alongside Russian troops in the Ukraine war, but was exiled in late June to Belarus following an attempted mutiny against Russian military leadership over Moscow’s stagnant invasion. Wagner’s presence in Belarus has fueled concerns about destabilization across eastern and central Europe, including in Poland, a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Specifically, Polish authorities have warned that the Wagner Group could invade Poland to seize control of the Suwałki Gap, a small but critical corridor located along Poland’s northeastern border that separates Russia from the exclave Kaliningrad.
Specifically, Polish authorities have warned that the Wagner Group could invade Poland to seize control of the Suwałki Gap, a small but critical corridor located along Poland’s northeastern border that separates Russia from the exclave Kaliningrad.
Such an invasion would have significant consequences, isolating the Baltic States—Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania—from the the rest of Europe, potentially allowing Moscow to exert greater influence over these nations. It would also draw a response from NATO, as its founding treaty states that any attack against it would be treated as an attack against the entire military alliance.
Jabłoński told CNN that Polish troops will not back down from any Wagner threats.
“We are stating very clearly that we will not back down,” he said. “Obviously there will be attempts. We are expecting more attempts on attacks on our border, perhaps more attempts on also violating our airspace.”
Jabłoński added that Poland will be sending more troops to the Belarusian border to ensure they can be resilient amid the threat of an attack.
Still, he said Polish military leaders would like to avoid conflict, describing it as a “step of last resort to some extent,” but potentially necessary if “there will be continued attacks, continued attempts of destabilizing our country.”
“We are considering any steps that will be necessary to protect our territory, protect our citizens, including the full isolation of Belarus, including full closure of the border,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who is now deputy chair of the country’s Security Council expressed outrage at Ukraine over strikes in the Black Sea, warning in a Telegram post on Saturday that parts of its territory “will soon fall off to Poland.”
“If the Kiev scum wants to arrange an ecological catastrophe in the Black Sea, it must get it on that part of their territory that will soon fall off to Poland and that will stink after that for centuries,” he wrote.
Poland began transferring troops to the northeastern border last month amid concerns about Wagner’s presence in Belarus, with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki warning in late July that the situation is becoming more dangerous.
“This is definitely a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory,” he said. “They are likely to be disguised as Belarusian border guards and will help illegal immigrants enter Polish territory, destabilize Poland, but they are also likely to try to enter Polish territory posing as illegal immigrants, which creates additional risks.”
Source : News Week
