MINSK, July 6. /TASS/. Ruslan Kosygin, head of the main intelligence department of the General Staff of the Belarusian armed forces, on Wednesday said the recent military steps by the West, including in Poland, are essentially preparations for a war on the eastern flank.
"The entire range of military preparations by the West, including on the territory of Poland, testifies to the systematic development by Washington and Brussels, under the pretext of containing the threat from the East, of mechanisms for creation in the shortest possible time of groupings of troops for their possible use in certain operational areas, as well as a comprehensive support of their actions," said Kosygin, who is also a deputy chief of the General Staff of the Belarusian armed forces, according to the BelTA news service. "That’s essentially preparations for engagement in hostilities on the eastern flank."
According to Kosygin, Poland and the Baltic states, "are turning into a testing ground where the United States plans to unleash another bloody conflict in Europe against the Russian Federation and its allies."
"These plans are also confirmed by the ongoing operational and combat training activities that are practicing the transfer of troops (forces), the creation of groupings, their deployment and comprehensive support, and Russia and Belarus are considered as the enemy," Kosygin said.
He said the ongoing measures to deploy the European segment of the US missile defense system deserves special attention from the perspective of challenges and military threats, including for Belarus. He said a missile defense base in Poland is being put into operation these days and that process is close to completion.
Destabilizing moves by Warsaw include statements by some politicians that call for bringing historical Polish lands back into its fold. By historical lands they mean western areas of Ukraine and Belarus, he said.
In the event of provocations from the West, the answer will definitely be proportionate and tough, the senior military officer said. He said Poland must understand that in the event of a conflict, the country and its military infrastructure will become the primary target of attack.