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The Suvalk corridor is very important for Russia in the context of creating tension within the North Atlantic Alliance. An aggressor country can seize it to cut off the Baltic states from the Alliance. Candidate of political sciences, international expert Stanislav Zhelikhovskyi expressed this opinion today, July 25, on the air of FREEDOM TV channel.
“Very often, both the authorities in Russia and various propagandists on talk shows talk about the need to seize this isthmus in order to cut off the Baltic states from the rest of the member states of the Alliance, and in this way to actually absorb these republics, which, in principle, , is nothing new. In the Kremlin, this is actually openly discussed, and therefore the danger of this always remains. But NATO also calculates all this. They analyze such statements, as well as the possibility of an attack from Russia and Belarus. Therefore, in many strategic documents, if not in all, it is said that this is a weak link in the Alliance, and therefore it is necessary to send additional forces of NATO countries there to prevent this kind of scenario. Therefore, Poland is currently working to strengthen its northern and eastern borders, and is doing everything to prevent an invasion by the Union State,” he said.
According to the expert, the presence of “Wagner” PMK fighters on the territory of Belarus is an additional leverage of Russia’s pressure on Poland and NATO countries, as well as on Ukraine.
“The mercenaries sent by Russia to Belarus are most likely not so much the component that can really carry out some kind of special operation on the territory of Poland or Lithuania, but how much can act in a hybrid way. Namely, to train illegal migrants from the countries of Africa and the Middle East. And the Polish authorities are already clearly speaking about this. What if, for example, in 2021, the migration crisis was at the level when migrants received help only from the authorities and the border guard of the Republic of Belarus, then the “Wagnerians” themselves, having contacts in African and Middle Eastern countries, can recruit such people themselves, train them and help them force, for example, the Polish-Belarusian border, which will weaken the Alliance in this very problematic region,” Zhelikhovsky explained.
He clarified that this is a hybrid component, but there is also another purpose of this placement, in particular, to keep Lukashenka’s regime in Belarus under control.
“The “Wagners” themselves are one of the most combat-ready units of the PKV, which have gone through the war in Ukraine, Africa, and the Middle East, and they have combat experience. And, of course, the army of Belarus has no opportunity to oppose these mercenaries. Therefore, it is an additional lever of pressure. This can be viewed from the angle that Vladimir Putin can in this way force Lukashenka, if there is already a very great need, to force the northern border of Ukraine in order, for example, to distract from the counteroffensive operation in the south and east of Ukraine, as well as to introduce additional tension in Ukraine. And even apart from the fact that we have quite strengthened positions there, but still, if there is any invasion of the “Wagnerians”, or they will do it together with the armed forces of Belarus, it may interfere to some extent with our defensive strategy on the battlefield “, Stanislav Zhelikhovsky summed up.
