Poland Strengthens Border Enforcement Near Belarus Amid Wagner Concerns

BIALOWIEZA, POLAND - JULY 08: Bartek, a worker of Ocalenie Foundation speaks with Polish border guard about an asylum request as he represents migrants from Morocco who lived in the forest for 23 days and claimed to be pushed back to Belarus 3 times on July 08, 2023 in Bialowieza, Poland. Last week, the Polish government announced it was sending 500 counterterrorism police to the border with Belarus amid fears that the Wagner Group, the Russian private army, would be relocating to Belarus following its recent aborted mutiny in Russia. Poland has already stationed 5,000 security guards and 2,000 soldiers on the border, with the country's interior minister calling it a "tense situation." Beyond the Wagner worries, the border also remains a popular route for migrants looking to enter the European Union. In 2021, the Belarusian government tried to weaponize this trend by bringing thousands of migrants - mostly from the Middle East - to the country's borders with Poland and Lithuania, creating a crisis at their border crossings. (Photo by Omar Marques/Getty Images)