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Jul 08, 2023

Polish Border Guard asks for 1,000 more soldiers on Belarus frontier

Polish army troops stand guard, as part of the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country, in Poland, July 8, 2023. Courtesy of 12 Brygada Zmechanizowana/Handout

Polish army troops stand guard, as part of the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country, in Poland, July 8, 2023. Courtesy of 12 Brygada Zmechanizowana/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing Rights

WARSAW, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Poland's Border Guard has asked the defence ministry to send another 1,000 troops to the border with Belarus, the deputy interior minister said on Monday, amid an increase in attempts to illegally cross the frontier.

The head of the Border Guard, Tomasz Praga, said this year 19,000 people had tried to cross the Polish-Belarusian border illegally, up from 16,000 last year.

"The general (Praga) asked to move another 1,000 soldiers to the Polish-Belarusian border," Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik said.

Poland has built a face on the border with Belarus, equipped with electronic protection.

In recent weeks, soldiers from the Wagner mercenary group have appeared near the border, which, according to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, is aimed at destabilising the situation on NATO's eastern flank.

Reporting by Pawel Florkiewicz; Editing by Hugh Lawson

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