Poland preparing for 'various scenarios' as Wagner trains Belarusian army near NATO border

Poland preparing for 'various scenarios' as Wagner trains Belarusian army near NATO border

Tim McNulty

Poland's Defence Ministry has declared they are keeping a careful eye on the situation at the Belarusian border and are prepared for "various scenarios". 

This comes after the Wagner Group, the Russian mercenary group, began training Belarusian special forces at a military base on the border with the NATO member.

In a statement, the Polish defence ministry said: "Poland’s borders are secure, we are monitoring the situation on our eastern border on an ongoing basis and we are prepared for various scenarios as the situation develops.

Poland's intention to beef up its military along the Belarusian border has alarmed the Kremlin.

The Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, recognised the action, saying that Poland's assertiveness is a serious source of concern for Russia.

Peskov told reporters: "Of course it is a cause for concern. The aggressiveness of Poland is a reality.

"Such a hostile attitude towards Belarus and the Russian Federation requires heightened attention [from our side]."

On Thursday, mercenaries from Russia's Wagner military company commenced joint exercises with the Belarusian military near the Polish border after relocating to Belarus following their short-lived rebellion.

The Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that the week-long drills would take place at a firing range near the border city of Brest and involve Belarusian special forces.

The ministry emphasized that Wagner's combat expertise would aid in the modernization of the Belarusian military.

In a recently released video, Wagner's chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, appeared for the first time since leading last month's rebellion.

In the video, Prigozhin informed his troops that they would spend time in Belarus to train its military, with the objective of making the Belarusian army the second strongest in the world before being deployed to Africa.

In addition to their involvement in Ukraine, Wagner mercenaries have been deployed to Syria and various African countries since the private army's establishment in 2014.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Thursday that he has ordered to move some troops from the country's west to Biala Podlaska, around 45 kilometers (28 miles) west from Brest, and in Kolno, further north.

"We must bear in mind that bringing a few thousand of Wagner’s forces into Belarus poses a threat to our country, hence my decision to move some military units from Poland’s west to Poland’s east,” Blaszczak said on state Radio 1. "Their task it is to train and to deter an aggressor, it is to show Russiathat Poland’s border should not be crossed, that it would not pay off to attack Poland."