Lukashenko says Poland should thank Belarus for controlling Wagner

President Lukashenko said Poland should thank Belarus for helping to control Wagner, otherwise the force might have marched on Warsaw.

Poland "should pray that we control them and provide for them. Without us, they would have invaded and devastated Rzeszow and Warsaw," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said today, referring to the gunmen from the Russian private security company Wagner. "Poland should not blame me. They should say 'thank you'."

Rzeszow is a city in southeastern Poland, near the border with Ukraine, while Warsaw is the capital of the country.

Lukashenko's comments came after Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on July 29 that a group of 100 Wagner soldiers had moved to the Belarusian city of Grodno, near the border with Poland. The Polish leader described the situation as "increasingly dangerous".

"I heard that Poland was outraged by the fact that some detachments, up to 100 people, came here," Mr Lukashenko said. "There are no such detachments. And if there were, they would only transfer military experience to the Belarusian brigades in Brest and Grodno."

Brest and Grodno are two cities in western Belarus, close to the border with Poland.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on July 6. Photo: AFP — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on July 6. Photo: *AFP*

Wagner forces arrived in Belarus after the uprising in Russia on June 24, participating in a number of training and exercises with the country's military near the border. President Lukashenko has asked Wagner forces to help defend Belarus "at the earliest request".

Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner boss, has announced that his forces will not continue to participate in hostilities in Ukraine. He has welcomed Wagner members to Belarus to train and strengthen their capabilities for operations in Africa. Some Wagner members have visited the training ground of the Belarusian 38th Airborne Brigade outside Brest.

In July, Poland moved an additional 1,000 troops to its eastern region, fearing that the border situation would become more complicated with Wagner's presence in Belarus.

Lithuania is also considering closing its border with Belarus, warning Western allies that Wagner soldiers could disguise themselves as asylum seekers and attempt to cross into European Union member states or carry out provocations involving refugees.