Poland launches operation on Belarus border
Poland launches Operation Safe Podlasie on the border with Belarus. Military forces and equipment will be involved in border protection.
According to RIA Novosti on August 1, Poland launched Operation Safe Podlasie on the border with Belarus. Accordingly, additional military forces and military equipment will participate in border protection.
Polish Defense Minister Vladislav Kosinyak-Kamysh clarified that the primary responsibility for this operation is the 18th Mechanized Division.
The Polish Defense Minister added that the situation on the border between Poland and Belarus has been getting worse recently. According to Mr. Kosinyak-Kamysh, “the last months have been the most difficult.” Mr. Kosinyak-Kamysh recalled that in May, an illegal immigrant at the border killed a Polish soldier with a knife.
In addition, on August 1, Poland began an operation to strengthen air defenses on its eastern borders, codenamed “Aerial Dawn”. The specific target is “illegal objects at the border, including at low and very low altitudes, typical of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles”.
In mid-2021, thousands of migrants gathered at the Poland-Belarus border hoping to reach EU countries. Since then, hundreds of illegal immigrants have tried to enter Poland every month. The authorities have increased security along the border, deployed troops and cracked down on illegal immigration, blaming Minsk for the migration crisis.
Belarus denies all these accusations, saying that Poland is deporting migrants to its territory and escalating the situation under the pretext of refugees. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko noted that Minsk will no longer limit the flow of illegal migrants to EU countries: due to Western sanctions, “there is neither money nor strength” for this.
