NATO masses troops in Poland, forcing Russia to reinforce its forces on its western border

Speaking at a meeting with defense officials, Shoigu stressed that NATO member Poland had announced plans to strengthen its military, and predicted that significant NATO forces and weapons would be deployed in Finland, a country that recently joined the US-led Western military bloc.

According to Mr. Shoigu, the West has deployed about 360,000 soldiers and 8,000 armored vehicles near the border of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The head of the Russian defense industry said that Warsaw is planning to form a formal Polish-Ukrainian alliance to continue occupying western Ukraine and declared its intention to build the "strongest army" in Europe.

Minister Shoigu accused Poland of becoming the "main instrument" of the US's anti-Russian policy, adding that Poland had begun purchasing weapons from the US, the UK and South Korea.

In addition, according to Mr. Shoigu, NATO forces and offensive weapons capable of striking important targets deep in the territory of Russia's northwestern region could be deployed in Finland.

Earlier the same day, Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik announced that the country will send 2,000 soldiers to the border with Belarus, double the number requested by the border guard, to prevent illegal border crossings and maintain stability in the area.

Poland has grown increasingly concerned about the border region since hundreds of battle-hardened Wagner fighters arrived in Belarus in July at the invitation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Earlier this week, Belarus began military exercises near the border, and President Lukashenko has repeatedly stressed that he is restraining Wagner fighters who want to attack Poland.

Poland has also seen a surge in migrants from the Middle East and Africa trying to cross into Poland in recent months. Over the past two years, Warsaw has accused Belarus of rounding up migrants from poor countries and pushing them across the border illegally in order to destabilize it.

In the announcement about the military mobilization, Deputy Minister Wasik confirmed that this reinforcement is not 1,000 but 2,000 soldiers. According to Mr. Wasik, the decision was made by the Security Committee and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak, and said that on August 7, the country's border guards had requested to deploy an additional 1,000 soldiers.

Deputy Minister Wasik also accused the Belarusian authorities of orchestrating any attempts by migrants to illegally enter Polish territory. He also stressed that "if the other side, Belarus, had real border guards and no smuggling services, then border crossings would not have happened."

The Minsk government has yet to respond to Warsaw's decision, as the Belarusian army has just begun military exercises near the border with Poland./.