Poland to conduct large-scale operation on border with Belarus
Poland will conduct an operation on the border with Belarus (Getty Images)
Poland is preparing for a large-scale operation Safe Podlasie on the border with Belarus, involving 17,000 troops, according to the Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The Polish Defense Minister, together with Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, held a joint meeting to strengthen the country's eastern border.
Operation Safe Podlasie on the border with Belarus will commence on August 1, involving about 17,000 soldiers. The operation will be led by the 18th Mechanized Division.
According to the Defense Minister, police officers, including those who participated in the mission in Kosovo, have been dispatched to the border to train the soldiers.
Poland has also positively assessed the creation of a buffer zone on the eastern border. According to Polish officials, the number of illegal border crossing attempts has halved.
"This is a very concrete result, related to the fact that we have pushed smugglers away from the border itself," the Interior Minister said.
Poland-Belarus conflict
The conflict between Poland and Belarus has been ongoing for several years. It was preceded by a border crisis when Belarus sent illegal migrants to the Polish border.
The conflict intensified at the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, as Belarus actively supports Russia. Moreover, Russian troops were and continue to be stationed on Belarusian territory.
Poland is reinforcing the border with Belarus and has announced the construction of modern fortifications. Warsaw has decided to limit Minsk's transit revenues by implementing border checks.
Additionally, the Baltic states and Poland have proposed to the EU the construction of a 700-kilometer defensive line on the border with Russia and Belarus.
