{"id":96151,"date":"2024-07-17T20:03:20","date_gmt":"2024-07-17T17:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/96151\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"poland-to-launch-military-operation-to-secure-its-border-with-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/96151\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland to launch military operation to secure its border with Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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July 17, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Up to 17,000 troops will take part in the Polish army operation Safe Podlasie to be launched on August 1 to secure the border with Belarus, Defense Minister W\u0142adys\u0142aw Kosiniak-Kamysz told Polskie Radio<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some 8,000 will be deployed to the border and the rest will stay in reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 18th Mechanized Division, aka the Iron Division, will be the first unit to go on duty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the minister, about 6,000 troops are currently stationed at the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak confirmed that Poland demands that Belarus cooperate in investigating the murder of Mateusz Sitek, a private of the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade stabbed at the border with Belarus on May 28.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish police will not relax until the perpetrator is found and brought to justice, Semoniak added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 6, the Polish General Command reported said the soldier was reportedly attacked by a person trying to cross the border illegally with a large group of migrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 3, Polish Foreign Minister Rados\u0142aw Sikorski said that authorities in Minsk continue to facilitate illegal migration by fully controlling the number of illegal border crossings by third-country nationals traveling on Russian visas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some months illegal crossings are at zero, other months border guards prevent up to 400 attempts a day, he noted, implying the orchestrated nature of the crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk can secure good-neighborly relations with Poland by releasing jailed journalist Andrzej Poczobut (Andrej Pa\u010dobut) and ending security services\u2019 involvement in deploying migrants to the border, Sikorski stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 2, Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka said that illegal migrants were traveling to the European Union because they were \u201cinvited there\u201d and that Belarusian border guards will not be catching them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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