Poland’s Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has issued a warning that over 100 troops from the Russian mercenary group Wagner are advancing towards the narrow strip of land between Poland and Lithuania, known as the Suwalki gap. He expressed concern that these troops may attempt to cross the border by posing as migrants.
The presence of Wagner mercenaries in Belarus has been reported following a failed military uprising in Russia. Morawiecki accused Belarus, a key ally of Russia, of facilitating the westward movement of migrants in an effort to overwhelm Polish border forces. He sees the troop movements as part of this campaign to destabilize the border region.
The prime minister suggested that these mercenaries might disguise themselves as Belarusian border guards and aid illegal immigrants in entering Polish territory. He also warned that they could try to infiltrate Poland while pretending to be migrants, posing additional risks to the country’s security.
Poland has experienced around 16,000 attempts by migrants to cross its border illegally this year, which Morawiecki attributes to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions.
The Suwalki corridor, although only 60 miles long, holds strategic importance for NATO, the EU, Russia, and Belarus. It connects the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to Belarus and serves as the sole overland link between the Baltic states and the rest of the EU. As a result, its security is of concern to several parties.
While it remains unclear what exactly the Wagner troops are doing in Grodno, they were invited to Belarus as part of an agreement negotiated by President Lukashenko to end the mercenary group’s armed insurrection against Russia. Lukashenko has also sought Wagner’s assistance in training Belarus’ military, and both countries plan to conduct joint military exercises near Poland’s border, potentially heightening tensions.
Despite the Polish government asserting the safety of its borders, they have deployed additional troops to the east as a precautionary measure against possible threats from Wagner.