Defense Forces send new unit to Polish border to counter 'hybrid attack'
A 42-person Defense Forces unit from Western Estonia was sent to Poland on Monday to continue the efforts against the continued Belarusian "hybrid attack".
The unit is known as Wisent 5 and is formed from volunteers from Pärnu, Lääne and Saare counties who want to contribute to defending Poland's Border from Belarus' "hybrid attack" which sent migrants through the border last summer and has continued ever since.
"We are talking about the Polish-Belarusian border, we are going there for the second time with the units of the Western National Defense District, there are even 12 people who visited the first time. They are familiar with the work and conditions there," Chief of the Pärnu County Regiment of the Defense League Liet. col. Tõnu Miil told ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera" on Monday.
He said, due to the war in Ukraine, there is an even bigger need to focus on and strengthen the border and maintain allied relations. Belarus has been supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
While the media coverage of the migrant crisis has died down since last summer, smaller numbers of migrants have been attempting to cross Belarus' borders with Lithuania, Latvia and Poland throughout the winter.
Lithuania has reported a rise in numbers of attempted border crossers in recent weeks as the weather has warned up.
At the weekend, public broadcaster LRT published an account from a volunteer trying to help people.
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Editor: Helen Wright
