Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday, the defense minister said, amid rising concern in the NATO-member that the presence of Wagner Group fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to offer mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner group the choice of relocating to Belarus has led to fears among eastern NATO members that their presence will cause greater instability in the region.
"Over 1,000 soldiers and almost 200 units of equipment from the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country," Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter.
"This is a demonstration of our readiness to respond to attempts at destabilisation near the border of our country."
Last Sunday Poland said it would send 500 police to shore up security at its border with Belarus.
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