Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki issued a warning on Saturday, expressing concern that a group of approximately 100 Russian Wagner mercenaries were moving closer to Poland’s border while passing through Belarus.

This development has raised alarm bells for Poland, which is both a member of the European Union and NATO. The Polish government’s primary focus is on securing the EU’s border.

Poland has accused Belarus of engaging in “hybrid warfare” by facilitating illegal migration at the Polish border.

There are suspicions that Minsk is encouraging migrants to enter Belarus with the false promise of easy access to the European Union. The situation has escalated tensions in the region, particularly considering the strategic location of the Suwalki Gap, a stretch of Polish territory situated between Belarus and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad, which is separated from the mainland. This area also borders Lithuania, another EU member state.

In disguise

Prime Minister Morawiecki expressed concern that the Wagner mercenaries might attempt to disguise themselves as Belarusian border guards to assist migrants in crossing into the EU. He viewed this as a potentially dangerous development and a step towards a hybrid attack on Polish territory.

The presence of Russian mercenaries in Belarus has been on the rise, particularly since a short-lived rebellion orchestrated by Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Reports suggest that thousands of mercenaries have relocated to Belarus recently. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Wagner mercenaries would remain in central Belarus.

Given the tense situation, Poland’s Interior Ministry announced that Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia might collectively decide to shut down their borders with Belarus if incidents involving the Wagner mercenaries escalate on the frontier.

Poland’s government has long accused Russia and Belarus of using migrants to destabilize Poland and other EU countries, leading to the construction of a high wall along part of its border with Belarus.

The situation remains concerning for Poland and its European neighbors as they closely monitor the developments along the border. The movements of the Wagner mercenaries and their potential impact on the security of the EU’s eastern frontier are being closely watched by NATO and the international community.