Russia warns Poland against ‘unleashing aggression’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reacted angrily after the Polish defence minister sent troops to guard the eastern border. While condemning the decision, Vladimir Putin has said Russia will use “all means at its disposal” to defend Belarus. This comes after Poland and other EU countries have voiced their concerns over deploying Russian paramilitaries near their borders. 

Notably, Russian mercenaries from the Wagner group have begun holding training sessions for Belarusian troops at the Bretsky training centre in western Belarus. The training centre is about 10 km from a border crossing with Poland, as per the Guardian news report. According to Reuters, Poles near the border have reported that they have heard gunshots and helicopters. 

Putin threatens the Poles 

A series of aggressive remarks have been delivered by Putin where he claimed that Poland was seeking to invade Belarus, a Russian ally and that their elites were “dreaming of Belarusian lands”. The statement was made during the meeting of his security council. 

In Moscow, Putin has launched an angry tirade in response, claiming that Poland was seeking to annex territories in Belarus. However, there has been no evidence to support his statement. While condemning the Polish deployment, Putin said, "Unleashing aggression against Belarus would mean aggression against the Russian Federation." Further, he added, "And we will respond to it using all means at our disposal.”

Further, he asserted, “The western territories of present-day Poland are a gift from Stalin to the Poles, have our friends in Warsaw forgotten about this?” “We will remind you,” he added. 

Poland concerns about Wagner training camps on the Belarus border 

While highlighting the concerns regarding the training camps on the Belarus-Poland border area, Poland’s security committee said it would move troops toward the east in response to the Wagner group’s new presence in neighbouring Belarus. The statement by the committee comes on July 21. 

“Training or joint exercises of the Belarusian army and the Wagner group is undoubtedly a provocation,” said Zbigniew Hoffmanna security official, reported Guardian, citing the Polish state news agency PAP. Further, the statement read, “The committee analysed possible threats, such as the dislocation of Wagner group units. Therefore, the minister of national defence, chairman of the committee, Mariusz Błaszczak, decided to move our military formations from the west to the east of Poland.”

How did Belarus become a threat to Poland?

The situation has turned intense among the countries surrounding Russia-Ukraine. The Belarusian army has been receiving training by the Wagner group which is part of the deal between the Wagner fighters and the president of Belarus. This was agreed upon after Aleksandr Lukashenko helped the Yevgeny Prigozhin and gave him shelter.  

According to the UK media reports, Wagner fighters arrived in Belarus in large numbers last week after their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The part of the deal also included ending a short-lived mutiny in Russia in which he sent his heavily armed fighters on a “march of justice” toward Moscow.