Jarosław Kaczyński made the announcement at a news conference in Warsaw on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The deputy prime minister said the decision had been taken at an emergency meeting of government ministers responsible for national security and defence earlier in the day.
Kaczyński told reporters: “We have potentially a new situation in Belarus, with the arrival of Russia’s Wagner Group. According to estimates, these Wagner forces will total some 8,000 soldiers.”
He added that "this development is dangerous for Ukraine” and “potentially dangerous for Lithuania, as well as for Poland.”
“It could mean a new phase of hybrid warfare, much more challenging than the current one,” Kaczyński said, announcing that the government had decided to strengthen Poland's defences at its eastern border, "both in terms of temporary measures and permanent measures.”
Border with Belarus to be ‘seriously strengthened’ with personnel, physical barriers
He added that the border with Belarus would be “very seriously strengthened” by “increasing the size of the border force, as well as putting in place more physical barriers and reinforcements to protect the frontier against attack.”
The deputy prime minister added: “Of course, we cannot be certain that the border will be attacked, but security policy by definition deals with worst-case scenarios and based on this principle, we had to make such decisions.”
Kaczyński vowed: “Poland will be prepared to repel attacks even from such a dangerous, well-drilled and determined, as well as deeply depraved, military group.”
He also said that Poland “remains in touch with NATO allies” about "the security risk from Wagner’s move" to Belarus.
Wagner forces to move to Belarus
News about Wagner forces relocating to Belarus follows the mercenary group’s armed rebellion against Russia at the weekend, news outlets reported.
On Friday, Wagner financier Yevgeny Prigozhin said Russia had killed some 30 Wagner soldiers in a missile strike and ordered his forces to march on Moscow, Newsweek magazine reported.
The revolt ended on Saturday evening with a peace deal under which the Kremlin pledged to drop charges against Prigozhin if he agreed to go into exile in Belarus, according to news outlets.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday announced that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus, where he is expected to set up a new Wagner base, Newsweek reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Wednesday is day 490 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, Newsweek