Poland beefs up border security as Belarus' Lukashenko warns of 'nuclear showdown'

[Stevicus]

Poland beefs up border security as Belarus’ Lukashenko warns of ‘nuclear showdown’ - UPI.com

Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński announced Sunday that 500 police officers would be sent to the Belarusian border to beef up security after a surge of migrants attempted to enter the country.

www.upi.com

July 2 (UPI) -- Poland's Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński announced Sunday that 500 police officers would be sent to the Belarusian border to beef up security after a surge of migrants attempted to enter the country.

"Due to the tense situation on the border with Belarus, I decided to reinforce our forces with a group of 500 officers from riot control units and counter-terrorists," Kamiński said in a tweet, adding that they would join thousands of Polish Border Guard agents and soldiers.

The Polish Border Guard said in a statement Sunday that 187 people illegally tried to enter Poland from Belarus. Authorities said 77 tried to enter illegally from Belarus on Friday and 28 on Thursday.

The flood of migrants comes after Belarus' recent deals with Russia to store nuclear weapons and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's brokering of an agreement with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia's Wagner Group, to end his recent rebellion against Russia's military leadership.

Poland is dealing with the problem of people from Belarus crossing over illegally.

Meanwhile, Belarus has placed a "considerable number" of nuclear weapons in their territory.

Belarusian state media said last week that a "considerable number" of Russian nuclear weapons are now in Belarus as Lukashenko denied reports that Wagner Group mercenaries would be guarding them.

Lukashenko on Friday said that he "insisted" on having the nuclear weapons in Belarus as he sought to assure his citizens that the country "will never have to use them."

"The enemy will never set foot on our land as long as we have them," Lukashenko said.

However, Lukashenko added Saturday that "Western politicians are pushing Europe to the nuclear showdown."

"Will Western politicians realize that they are pushing Europe to the nuclear showdown? Do they seriously think that they will get off with a small sacrifice -- Vilnius and Europe?" Lukashenko said of the Lithuanian capital where a major NATO summit is soon to be held.

"God forbid, the worst war in history will break out. It will be hot not only in Warsaw, Kiev or Vilnius. We, Europe as a civilization, will disappear. But they don't need it. Neither do we. Belarus and Russia are categorically not interested in such an outcome."

I don't know if either Lukashenko or Putin are crazy enough to actually use nuclear weapons, but I suppose anything is possible.

The West doesn't seem terribly frightened at the prospect of nuclear war, at least not like we were back during the Cold War, such as during the Cuban Missile Crisis or the disarmament movement of the 80s (when "The Day After" was shown and "99 Red Balloons" was a big hit). But now, not so much. Trump bragged that he had "bigger rockets" than Kim Jong Un, and the current Administration seems hard-pressed to enter this new Cold War with a certain degree of bravado and reckless abandon. Just as Putin and Lukashenko seem to be doing (and Xi and Kim, for that matter).

Interesting times, indeed.

 

[fantome profane]

Just to clarify. Belarus doesn't have nuclear weapons. Russia has placed nuclear weapons in Belarus, but those are still Russian nuclear weapons under Russian control.