Lukashenko Misrepresents Polish Minister, Claims Polish Mercenaries Aided in Kursk Offensive

Polish mercenaries fought arm-in-arm with Ukrainian forces in the Kursk offensive, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told Russian state television, misquoting Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak.

Ukrainian troops crossed the Russian border on 6 August and launched an attack on the Kursk region. According to Lukashenko, Kyiv’s forces included Polish volunteers.

The troops that were part of the Kursk offensive “were gathered from all along the line of contact” and “were mostly people who had already experienced war”, while “the rest were mercenaries, Poles and so on and so forth”, the Belarusian leader told the Russian broadcaster.

He expressed confidence that Vladimir Putin’s army would defeat the Kyiv soldiers who have stepped into Russian territory. According to him, an escalation of the conflict could lead to the worst-case scenario for Ukraine.

“If it continues like Kursk, there will be an escalation that will end with the destruction of Ukraine. Nobody has ever been defeated, and nobody will defeat Russia,” he said.

“How can NATO cope here?” Lukashenko asked rhetorically, saying the Americans had one policy – to turn Europe against Russia. “Let them fight. And then they will deal with the Chinese in the east,” he added.

Border closure with Belarus

Speaking about Poland, the Belarusian president also commented on a misquoted statement by Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak (Civic Platform, EPP), as reported by Polish private broadcaster Polsat News.

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According to the Russian broadcaster, Siemoniak said  there was a basis for agreements with Minsk “on some complex issues, such as the opening of border crossings.”

“Well, I would like to know what this basis is. This is a very good statement,” Lukashenko commented.

In reality, in an interview with the private Radio ZET, Siemoniak was asked about the possibility of closing the entire border with Belarus if Minsk continues its hybrid activities, such as supporting migration, which Poland accuses Lukashenko’s regime of doing from mid-2021.

“We have to take into account our own interests, and we are considering various options,” the minister said, noting that some border crossings have already been closed. He added that Poland expects Belarus to stop the hostile activities.

Lukashenko argued that a possible complete closure of the Polish-Belarusian border would not harm Minsk. “It’s the same for both Russia and Belarus. They (the West) have imposed sanctions on us. We don’t go there, which means we don’t export anything. (…) We don’t trade with them. They have decided to close the border. Fine, then”.

The Belarusian president added that Poland should not fight against Russia or Belarus and should resume economic cooperation with these countries. He expressed his belief that the policy of Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Civic Platform, EPP) towards Belarus is rejected by the majority of Polish society.

Lukashenko’s claims are contradicted by opinion polls. As many as 71.8% of Poles believe that Poland should close the border crossing with Belarus to force a change of policy in Minsk, according to a survey by the IBRiS Institute published in July.