NATO Responds to Potential Threat from Wagner Mercenary Group

International

luc, CNBC Indonesia

News

Wednesday, 02/08/2023 13:40 WIB

Pictured: Bundeswehr soldiers work next to two trailers with Patriot air defense system missile launchers at a refueling facility in southeastern Poland. (dpa/picture alliance via Getty I/picture alliance)

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The United States (US) opens its voice regarding the potential threat of the Wagner mercenary group against NATO.

The White House said it was “not aware” of any threats to NATO member states posed by Wagner.

“We are not aware of any specific threat posed by Wagner to Poland or to our NATO allies, and we are watching it closely,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. Anadolu AgencyWednesday (2/8/2023).

“But, of course, we are committed to Article 5 and, as the president said, to defending every inch of NATO territory. But again, there is no indication that Wagner is a threat to the alliance,” he added.

The comments came a day after Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Washington’s envoy to the United Nations, warned Moscow that “any attack by Wagner will be seen as an attack by the Russian government.”

“We are of course concerned that this group, at the behest of the Russian government, because they do not work independently of the Russian government, is a threat to all of us,” he said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said over the weekend that about 100 mercenaries from the Wagner Group had moved towards the Belarusian city of Grodno, near the Polish border, describing the move as “a step towards further hybrid attacks on Polish territory.”

According to him, Wagner’s troops, who have been in Poland since last month’s brief uprising against Russia, could impersonate Belarusian border guards and assist illegal immigrants into Poland or pose as immigrants crossing the border illegally.

Belarusian threat

Meanwhile, Poland is increasingly at odds with Belarus. The reason is, two Minsk helicopters violated Warsaw’s airspace, Tuesday (1/8/2023).

Poland even announced increasing military deployments on its eastern border in response. It is known that Belarus is carrying out military exercises with Wagner, who previously carried out a failed coup against President Vladimir Putin’s government.

“There was a violation of Polish airspace by two Belarusian helicopters that were training near the border,” the Polish Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

“The breach occurred in the Bialowieza area at a very low altitude, hindering detection by the radar system,” the ministry added.

Poland added that NATO had been notified of the incident. The increase in the number of troops on its own border was imposed on the pretext of “mixed actions” by Russia and Belarus against Poland.

Please note, an attack on one NATO member country will allow 30 other NATO members to move to retaliate. This is in accordance with Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty where there is an obligation for all members to help each other.

Meanwhile, Belarus said the claims of breach were made by Poland’s military and political leadership. This was to justify the build-up of troops and means near the Belarusian border.

Poland and several other neighbors that form the eastern wing of NATO have raised concerns about the potential threat from Belarus since it hosted the Wagner mercenary group. On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said “one hundred Wagner mercenaries” in Belarus had moved close to its borders.

(luc/luc)

2023-08-02 06:40:00
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