Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński and Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau made the declaration on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The ministers met with border officials in the northeastern town of Krynki, before holding a joint news conference in the border village of Usnarz Górny.
The defence minister said that it was in Usnarz Górny two years ago that Russia and Belarus "launched their hybrid attack of illegal migration designed to destabilise Poland ahead of Russia’s assault on Ukraine.”
Błaszczak added: “These actions had undoubtedly been coordinated and agreed upon at the Kremlin, so we are dealing with an attempted attack on the free world, carried out by an aggressive regime seeking to revive the Russian empire in Europe.”
He stated: “The border with Belarus is and will be protected thanks to the Polish government, which delivered the border wall.” He was referring to the 5.5-metre-high and 186-kilometre-long steel structure stretching along the frontier.
The defence minister told reporters that “hybrid attacks continue” and so the government had decided to ask the Polish people as part of the October 15 referendum if they would support the dismantling of the wall on the Belarus border.
Błaszczak said the government would not allow the border "to be put under threat" and hoped the public would "say no to the dismantling of the wall."
Earlier this month, Poland's lawmakers approved a government plan to combine the parliamentary elections on October 15 with a nationwide referendum on issues including illegal migration.
The interior minister said that "on Friday the Belarusian army will begin its manoeuvres," also featuring Russian military units.
“These drills are part of psychological warfare, including against Poland and our citizens,” he added.
Kamiński paid tribute to Poland’s soldiers and border guards, and said the country would deal with all the dangers, even though the situation was “full of threats.”
He declared: “We’ll deal with the threats, just as we dealt with the wave of illegal migration that the opponents of our country and the free world, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Belarusian leader Alexander] Lukashenko sought to unleash on Europe two years ago, to sow chaos and make countries collapse. We prevented that.”
The interior minister added: “We succeeded in defending our borders and we’ll continue to do so, thanks to having such valiant soldiers, such valiant officials and the support of ordinary, normal Poles who want Poland to be secure.”
Meanwhile, the foreign minister said that "the hybrid attack on Poland’s border" with Belarus was “one of Russian imperialism’s special operations.”
Rau added: “We have put up a wall on the border, which now undoubtedly represents the eastern shield of NATO, a shield of the will and determination that we have shown in the face of this aggression.”
He told reporters that otherwise “Poland would have descended into social and economic chaos,” flooded with immigrants “many of whom are recruited by Russian security services.”
The foreign minister added: “Poland would have descended into political clashes that Russia hoped and is still hoping to see. We didn’t succumb.”
Poland’s top diplomat said that the wall on the Belarus border constituted “an example to follow” for Poland’s neighbours and allies on the eastern flank of NATO.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
Thursday is day 554 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP