Defending the Polish border
12.11.2021
‘Ensuring the security of the Polish border is the responsibility of the Border Guard that coordinates all operations. It is assisted by the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces and police officers. The unit responsible for the northern part of the border between Poland and Belarus and the coordination of operations of the Polish Armed Forces is the command of the 16th Mechanised Division. The 16th Division is supported by soldiers of other divisions, i.e. the 12th and 11th Divisions. The southern section of the border is the responsibility of the 18th Mechanised Division. The soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces serving at the border do extremely hard work every day,’ said Mariusz Błaszczak, Minister of National Defence, during the meeting with the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces protecting the Polish border.
‘We are aware that winter is coming and the weather is going to get worse. We do our best to ensure the best possible conditions of service – it is my responsibility as the Minister of National Defence. Morale among Polish soldiers is high. Our obligation is to ensure decent conditions of service,’ said the Minister.
The soldiers of the 16th Mechanised Division were the first to assist the Border Guard officers in the protection of the Polish border. Currently, four divisions of the Polish Armed Forces cooperate with the Border Guard to secure the border between Poland and Belarus in response to the ongoing migration crisis.
‘I am extremely grateful to all soldiers, Border Guard officers and police officers for their bravery. For their readiness to leave their homes for weeks to protect us all. I am extremely grateful to soldiers who often leave their families for weeks to serve at the border, to protect us all, and to fulfil our obligations as a member of the European Union,’ emphasized the President.
The head of the Ministry of National Defence reminded that the situation at the border is difficult and threatens the security of EU Member States.
‘The situation at the border is tense. We are still dealing with hybrid attacks, which are being launched all the time. Migrants are being used by the Lukashenka regime to attack Poland and, thus, the European Union because we all know very well that the Polish border is the EU border,’ added the Minister.
Nearly 15,000 soldiers are serving at the border and helping the Border Guard officers. The number of troops may be increased at any moment. Soldiers have already built over 180 km of temporary fence that effectively foils any attempts to cross the border illegally.
