“Does Not Pose a Threat”: Poland Assessed the Belarusian Army

Nevertheless, the Polish side takes the events across the eastern border quite seriously.

Polish experts discussed the military integration of Minsk and Moscow, the announcement of the construction of a large base in the west of Belarus, the Belarusian army.

The military doctrine of the "union state" has not been disclosed, but it is known that both military and economic integration of the two states is taking place, writes the Polish edition onet.pl.

"Pressure on the West"

Professor Larysa Leszczenko, head of the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Wroclaw, believes that "in the event of a threat to one of the allied states, Russia will use its nuclear potential to deter potential enemies, and, if necessary, to deter aggression. Moreover, in such a situation, the united industry of the two countries will also switch to military regimes. The doctrine also contains a list of hostile states, which, however, are not formally disclosed, because, as reported in the press, "we already know our good neighbors." Thus, progressive integration gives Moscow additional tools to exert pressure on the West using the territory and potential of Minsk."

"Does not pose a threat"

At the same time, Reservist General Miroslaw Rozanski, President of the Stratpoints Foundation, said that Belarus itself and its army do not pose a threat to Poland, which is "on paper", but also in an alliance with NATO, is much stronger.

According to him, “more worrisome is the announcement of the construction of an air and anti-aircraft defense base in Western Belarus, which means the movement of the defensive and offensive systems of Russian troops towards the Polish borderю” Rozanski believes that "Warsaw's response to these steps should be more active participation of Polish partners in the West and the manifestation of a threat."

Problem for Ukraine

In Poland, they believe that “integrating Belarus” is also an increasingly serious problem for Ukraine, which until now viewed the more than a thousand kilometers long border with Belarus as a safe frontier. Meanwhile, the growth of Russia's military influence is forcing Kyiv to start taking into account the military threat from the north.

“The Polish side should treat the events across the eastern border much more seriously than only in the context of the current migration crisis and the relatively small military tension associated with it,” the experts summed up.