Minsk [Belarus], August 1 : Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Tuesday refuted Poland's claim that nearly 100 troops from Wagner mercenaries have moved to a thin strip of land between Poland and Lithuania, CNN reported citing the statement released by the President's Office.
“I suddenly hear the other day that Poland has freaked out that allegedly some units as large as 100 people are moving here. No PMC Wagner units 100 people strong have moved here. And if they have, they did it only in order to pass on combat experience to the brigades, which are stationed in Brest and Grodno," Lukashenko said during a working visit to Kamenets District, in the southwestern Brest region, according to the statement.
After Belarus signed a deal with Russia to formalise the deployment the tactical nuclear missiles, the former country wanted to train its military from the Wagner.
"I need to train my own military personnel because an army that doesn't fight is half an army," Lukashenko added according to the statement. "So they [Wagner] are here to pass on their experience."
Earlier, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, on July 29, claimed that over 100 troops from the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, are moving towards a thin strip of land between Poland and Lithuania.
The Poland PM said that his government had received information that Wagner mercenaries went near the Grodno, a city in western Belarus close to the land, which is also known as the Suwalki gap or corridor, according to CNN.
Thousands of Wagner troops are reportedly in Belarus following a failed military uprising in Russia.
Morawiecki alleged that Belarus, a key ally to Russia, has been sending migrants westward in an attempt to overwhelm Polish border forces. And till now, this year, around 16,000 attempts were made by migrants to cross the border illegally, he added.
The troop movements, Morawiecki added, appeared to be another element in this campaign to destabilize the border, according to CNN.
“They will probably be disguised as Belarusian border guards and will help illegal immigrants to enter Polish territory, destabilize Poland, but they will also probably try to infiltrate Poland pretending to be illegal immigrants and this creates additional risks,” he said, according to CNN.
These claims came as the Belarusian defence ministry, last month, said the country's forces will hold joint military exercises with Wagner fighters near its border with the NATO member.
Wagner fighters have arrived in Belarus following a short-lived mutiny by the private military group in June, reported CNN.
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