Dubbed “Operation Podlasie,” the troop deployment was announced by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Saturday. Poland thus wants to demonstrate that it is ready to react to any “attempted destabilization” on the border.
As Belarus is a close ally of Russia, tensions have risen between Belarus and NATO member Poland following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February. The country is not directly involved in Ukraine, but has loaned its territory to the Russian military to launch its offensive in February 2022.
Last June, Moscow further announced its intention to deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus, raising concerns in Poland. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced that he is ready to welcome thousands of mercenaries from the Wagner militia into his territory.
Leaders of NATO member states Lithuania, Poland and Latvia and bordering Belarus have recently expressed their concerns in a joint letter to the rest of the Atlantic alliance regarding the evolution of the situation in the former Soviet republic. A NATO summit will be held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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