It is premature to draw firm conclusions about possible scenarios. Deputy Interior and Administration Minister Błażej Poboży indicated on Polish Radio that, at that moment, there had been no explicit discussion about declaring a state of emergency in the border region.
Will the government declare a state of emergency?
Asked about the option of declaring a state of emergency due to threats from the east in the border area, Poboży stated that he was not aware of anyone raising this issue at the time.
Opposition voices have been quick to spread stories, and some analysts believe they are seeking a pretext for a potential electoral defeat. The situation has evolved considerably in recent days, yet it remains too soon to speak about such measures, according to Poboży.
When questioned about stopping traffic in the border zone, he stressed that such a step did not seem necessary at this stage.
He praised the current border-management approach, describing it as the most professional and effective in Europe, perhaps even globally. He cited the combination of a robust technical barrier and a perimeter dam as a strong support for the country’s border guards.
Strengthening the border
On the decision to bolster defenses on the eastern border in light of the Wagner group’s presence in Belarus, Poboży noted that this approach had already been proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration.
Regarding reinforcement, the plan would rely on the extended presence of officers from services under the ministry, mainly border guards and the Polish police. The police played a key role in the Kuźnica incident, which marked a major moment in the hybrid operation against Poland, he added.
He also indicated that the army could deploy shifts and increase the number of soldiers at the border, and that discussions on this topic would take place in the coming hours or days between PiS President Jarosław Kaczyński and the heads of the relevant ministries.
“A new phase of hybrid warfare”
At a briefing with the head of the Ministry of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, after a meeting of the Council of Ministers Committee on National Security and Defense Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński announced that, because of the Wagner Group’s presence in Belarus, decisions had been taken to defend the eastern border both temporarily and permanently. This includes increasing the number of troops on the border and implementing obstacles and fortifications as part of the defensive posture.
He warned that the development could be detrimental to Ukraine and could, in turn, affect Lithuania and Poland as well. It signaled a potential new phase of hybrid warfare, possibly more challenging than any faced so far, Kaczyński noted.
In this context, decisions were made to strengthen eastern defenses through both immediate projects and those designed to have a lasting effect. He explained that reinforcement would involve not only a larger constant presence of security forces but also a broader array of obstacles and fortifications to safeguard the border in the event of an attack.
While certainty cannot be guaranteed, security policy traditionally prioritizes worst-case scenarios. Guided by that principle, authorities proceeded with those measures, Kaczyński added.
READ MORE: A decision has been made to strengthen the eastern border! President Kaczyński: We have a new situation in Belarus. This could signal a new phase of the conflict
kk/PAP