Poland, Lithuania and Latvia — members of NATO and the European Union that border Belarus — have been on high alert since large numbers of migrants and refugees began crossing those borders two years ago. They have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Kremlin ally, of opening the migration route in an act of “hybrid warfare” to create instability in the West.
Concern has deepened since Wagner’s troops settled in Belarus.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said over the weekend that about a hundred Wagner militants approached the border with Poland, particularly a strategic area known as the Suwalki corridor.
“Now the situation has become more dangerous,” Morawiecki told reporters. “It is certainly a step towards a new hybrid attack on Polish territory.”
On Tuesday, two Belarusian helicopters entered Polish airspace at low altitude while conducting maneuvers.
The Polish Defense Ministry reported the incident to NATO, which said on Wednesday that it is monitoring the situation.
“NATO is closely monitoring the situation on its eastern borders, including yesterday’s incident in which two Belarusian military helicopters briefly entered Polish airspace at low altitude,” said a NATO official, speaking on condition of anonymity. . “We are in contact with the Polish authorities on this matter and we will continue to do what is necessary to ensure the security of the alliance’s territory.”
Poland, Lithuania and Latvia say they are sending more troops and supplies to their borders.
Guntis Pujats, head of the Latvian Border Guard, told reporters on Wednesday that security dangers on the border with Belarus have grown since Minsk began using migrants as tools of “hybrid warfare” and even more so with the arrival of the Wagner Group. He said that the guard has created a special force that is undergoing training.
FOUNTAIN: Associated Press
