Poland’s security committee decided at a meeting on Wednesday to move military units to the eastern part of the country due to the presence of the Wagner mercenary organization in BelarusPolish news agency PAP reported, citing statements made today by its secretary general.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared in a video on Wednesday welcoming his mercenaries to Belarus, telling them they would no longer participate in the war in Ukraine for now, but also ordering them to concentrate their forces for Africa while training the Belarusian army.

Yesterday, Thursday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that Wagner mercenaries had begun training Belarusian special forces at a military field located just a few kilometers from the border with NATO member Poland.

“The training or joint gymnasiums of the Belarusian army and the Wagner Group are undoubtedly a challenge,” Zbigniew Hoffmann told PAP.

“The (Security) Committee analyzed possible threats, such as the relocation of units of the Wagner Group. Therefore, the Minister of National Defense, the chairman of the Committee, Mariusz Blaszczak, decided to move our military formations from the west to the east of Poland,” he added.

People living near Poland’s border with Belarus said yesterday they could hear gunfire and helicopters after the Wagner Organization arrived to train Belarus’ special forces, heightening their fears that the war in Ukraine could reach them.

Poland’s defense minister said earlier this month that Warsaw had begun moving more than 1,000 troops to the eastern part of the country.

Also in early July, Poland announced it would send 500 police officers to beef up security on the border with Belarus.