Poland Considers Full Border Closure with Belarus Amid Heightened Security Concerns

The Polish government is considering the possibility of completely closing its border with Belarus as one of the measures to protect the country amid deteriorating security situations due to the presence of the "Wagner Group" terrorist organization in Belarus.

In an interview with CNN, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister, Pawel Jablonski, stated, "We are considering any steps necessary to defend our territory, to protect our citizens, including the complete isolation of Belarus, the full closure of the border. We would like to avoid this, as it is a measure of last resort. But if attacks continue, if attempts to destabilize our country persist, we may have no other choice."

Jablonski emphasized that the threat from Belarus is very real, and the "Wagner Group" has attempted to enter Polish territory. He stated, "We expect new attempts of attacks on our border, possibly new attempts to violate our airspace, and they will try to demonstrate that they can do whatever they want."

Poland is deploying more troops near the Belarusian border in response to the situation. On August 1st, two Belarusian helicopters reportedly violated Poland's airspace under the pretext of conducting training near the border.

In response to the incident, Polish Minister of National Defence, Mariusz Błaszczak, called for a meeting of the National Security and Defence Committee and ordered an increase in military presence on the border, including the allocation of additional forces and equipment, including combat helicopters. The incident was reported to NATO.

The Polish Ministry of Defence also pointed out that recently, both Moscow and Belarus have intensified their hybrid activities against Poland. On August 1st, the temporary chargé d'affaires of Belarus was summoned to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where a strong protest was expressed regarding the incident.

On August 4th, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that they have provided compelling evidence of the incident with the violation of Poland's airspace by Belarusian helicopters to the Belarusian government. The presented data contradicts the position of the Republic of Belarus, as stated in official statements by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defence.