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Poland to double the size of military in response to security threat

by The Kyiv Independent news desk July 28, 2023 10:20 AM 1 min read
Polish soldiers are seen during a high-intensity training session at the Nowa Deba training ground on May 06, 2023 in Nowa Deba, Poland. Anakonda-23 is the highlight of the Polish Army's training calendar this year. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The size of the Polish military is being nearly doubled in response to the threat posed by Russia and Belarus, Polish deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczynski said during a visit to the town of Koden near the Belarusian border on July 27.    

Existing units are being replenished and three new divisions are being created, for a total of six, with a seventh being a possibility. Polish military presence on Belarusian border is being strengthened as well.  

Recently, thousands of Wagner troops and heavy equipment have poured into Belarus from Russia, after the pseudo-PMC's abortive mutiny against the Kremlin.    

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that he brokered a deal between the Kremlin and Wagner, for the mercenaries to be allowed to peacefully leave Russia in exchange for standing down.

Earlier, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported that Wagner was recruiting in Belarus, with the readiness to participate in fighting in Poland and Lithuania as one of the conditions of enlistment.

Officially, Belarus and Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin have said that the mercenaries are there to train Belarusian troops.    

Ukraine has said that its border with Belarus is secure and is being monitored.

Poland transfers forces to eastern border as Wagner convoys enter Belarus
Two Polish brigades have been transferred from the west of the country to locations near the border with Belarus, Polish defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak said on July 18.
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