Attacking Belarus would be ‘aggression against Russia’, Putin warns Poland
Moscow, Jul 21 (EFE).- An attack by Poland on neighboring Belarus would amount to an “aggression” against Russia, Russian president Vladimir Putin warned Friday, after Warsaw announced the deployment of military units near the Belarusian border.
“As far as Belarus is concerned, it is part of the State Union (with Russia). An aggression against Belarus will mean an aggression against the Russian Federation. We will respond to these with all the means at our disposal,” Putin said during a meeting of the Russian Security Council.
Poland reinforced its eastern flank with two military units after Wagner Group mercenaries began guarding the Belarusian-Polish border this week.
Putin also denounced alleged plans by Poland and Lithuania to create a grouping of regular forces whose aim would be to “occupy” western Ukraine.
“The perspective is clear. If Polish units enter, for example, Lviv or other Ukrainian territories, they will stay there,” he said.
The Kremlin chief accused Polish leaders of wanting to form “a kind of coalition and interfere directly in the conflict in Ukraine” as a way to regain what they consider “historical territories” in western Ukraine.
“It is well known that they also yearn for Belarusian territories,” Putin said.
He accused the leaders of some Eastern European countries of making “Russophobia” an instrument of their domestic policy, calling the approach a “very dangerous game” which he said “strongly stokes the flame of war.”
“The authors of such plans should think about the consequences,” he said.
Putin instructed Sergey Narishkin, head of the Foreign Espionage Service (SVR), who also took part in the meeting, to closely monitor developments in that area.
Narishkin believes Poland’s decision to boost their eastern border shows that Warsaw is coming to the conclusion that “Ukraine’s defeat is only a matter of time.”
In that vein, Putin insisted that Kyiv’s Western backers are “clearly disappointed” with the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which began on June 4, in which “tens of thousands” of Ukrainian soldiers have been reportedly killed.
He also claimed that Nato’s arsenals are, “to a large extent, depleted,” while the rhythms of armament production in the West do not allow it to quickly replenish weapons and ammunition on the front lines.
The Polish Minister of Special Services, Stanislaw Zaryn, warned on Friday of “large-scale infiltration attempts” by “agents in the service of Russia” and recalled that in the last 14 months 22 people have been arrested on charges of espionage.EFE
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