Poland Creates New Military Unit near Border with Belarus

The Poles have created a new military unit, a sapper battalion, near the border with Belarus, the Polish Ministry of National Defence reports on Twitter (X).

"Today we are opening a new military unit in a very important region of our country. The sapper battalion in Augustów will be responsible for security in the northeastern part of Poland," the ministry quoted National Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak as saying.

According to him, the 1st Engineer Battalion will be responsible for engineering support of the 15th Mechanised Brigade deployed in the region.

Blaszczak stressed that the presence of sappers in the region is very important. "We know that artillery is the most important on the battlefield, that tank troops are very important, but sappers support other military units in restoring their combat readiness," the minister said.

He also called on residents of the region to join the army.

Last year, the Law on the Defence of the Fatherland came into force in Poland. It provides, among other things, for an almost twofold increase in the number of armed forces - up to 300,000. As of October this year, the number of Polish Armed Forces exceeded 186,000.

For reference: The land border between Poland and Lithuania passes through the Suwalki Corridor. This 95-kilometre-long strip of land is also a link between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast. Many military analysts see the Suwalki Corridor as a possible flashpoint in the event of a potential conflict between Russia and NATO.

There are fears that if Russia and Belarus block the Suwalki Corridor, they could cut off the Baltic states - Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia - from their NATO allies in Europe.

Some military analysts believe that the current actions of Russia and Belarus indicate that Russia is planning to attack the Baltic states.

In recent years, Russia and Belarus have signed a number of military agreements. Belarus provided a platform for the Russian military to invade Ukraine and allows Moscow to deploy tactical nuclear missiles on its territory.

Warsaw also accuses Belarus and Russia of organising an influx of migrants into the European Union to destabilise the region.

According to the Polish Border Guard Service, as of the summer, 19,000 migrants have tried to enter Poland from Belarus this year, compared to 16,000 in 2022.