MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. Poland has launched a new round of military preparations, based on artificial pretexts, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS on Thursday.

"The deployment of PMC [private military company] Wagner forces in our brotherly republic is nothing more than another artificial pretext for Warsaw to start a new round of military preparations," he said in an interview with TASS.

According to Galuzin, Poland's plans to "strengthen" the border with Belarus following the deployment of PMC Wagner forces in the republic are undoubtedly posing a threat to the security of the Union State.

"It is not easy to consider such decisions apart from the long-standing policy of progressive buildup of NATO's military potential along the perimeter of the western borders of the Union State and the obvious militarization of Poland itself jointly with its provocative policy regarding Russia and Belarus," the diplomat noted.

Galuzin also said that "the Polish state propaganda, in an attempt to cover up its own militaristic plans, never refused to coming up with any excuses before - from planned joint Russian-Belarusian exercises to a surge in illegal migration in 2020-2021 that had been provoked by the West itself."

"Russia and Belarus are undoubtedly resorting to joint adequate measures in order to counter threats to the security of the Union State in line with the military doctrine of our association that was updated in 2021," he added.

Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergey Shoigu said earlier that Poland was planning to form a joint Polish-Ukrainian military unit ostensibly for security, but with the ulterior motive of occupying western Ukraine.

According to the Russian defense minister, "Warsaw has announced its intention to build, as the Poles claim, 'the most powerful army on the continent.’ In this connection, large-scale purchases of weapons from the US, the UK and South Korea have commenced, including tanks, artillery systems, air defense and anti-aircraft systems and combat aircraft."

On August 1, the Polish Defense Ministry announced a decision to send more troops and attack helicopters to the border with Belarus after Belarusian helicopters violated the country's air borders. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on August 2 that the idea that Poland has claims to Western Ukraine was permeating Polish society.

On July 21, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin said at a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and the permanent members of the Security Council that Poland could seize control of the western territories of Ukraine by deploying its troops there.