Poland says Wagner mercenaries can fuel migrant crisis

June 29, BPN. Stanisław Żaryn, secretary of state at the chancellery of the Polish prime minister, has said the deployment of Wagner Group in Belarus can “stimulate migration activity at the border with Poland.”

Wagner mercenaries can establish a migration route from the East and manage migration flows at the Belarusian-European border, he told Polskie Radio 24 yesterday. This can be “very dangerous,” he said.

According to him, the Russian-backed private army that fought in Africa “has already participated in igniting the movement of migrants.” “Itialian services reported that Wagner Group stimulated a migrant route that reached Southern Europe,” he said.

Also yesterday, Poland’s ruling party leader Jarosław Kaczyński announced an increase in the number of troops to be permanently stationed at the border with Belarus in response to the possible deployment of Wagner Group in the neighboring country.

Thousands of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have been trying to reach the European Union via Belarus since 2021, despite opposition from Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.

The EU has accused Minsk of organizing the border crisis in order to divert attention from reprisals and human rights violations in the country.