 Poland began moving over 1,000 troops to the east of the country on Saturday, July 8. The defense minister said, amid rising concern in the NATO member that the presence of Wagner group fighters in Belarus could lead to increased tension on its border. Over 1,000 soldiers and almost 200 units of equipment from the 12th and 17th Mechanized Brigades are starting to move to the east of the country, Mariusz Blazak wrote on Twitter. Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to offer mercenary fighters of Yevgeny Prigazin's Wagner Group the choice of relocating to Belarus has led to fears among eastern NATO members that their presence will cause greater instability in the region. Poland has accused Belarus of artificially creating a migrant crisis on the border since 2021 by flying in people from the Middle East and Africa and attempting to push them across the frontier.