Poland to double troops number at border with Belarus, accuses it of organizing illegal migration

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Pland’s government will deploy an additional 2,000 troops to its border with Belarus, twice the number the Border Guard agency had requested, as fears of illegal migration rise. A deputy interior minister, Maciej Wasik, announced the decision in an interview Wednesday with PAP, the state news agency and accused the Belarusian authorities of organizing illegal migration. He said migration pressure on the Polish-Belarusian border area is growing, although it cannot compare to the situation two years ago when migrants flooded the border after being granted visas from the Minsk government. The fallout from Russia’s war against Ukraine has brought other concerns, including the presence of Russia-linked Wagner group mercenaries in Belarus.