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Polish army launches Operation Safe West on border with Germany — Defense Ministry

According to Wladysіaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the operation could involve up to 5,000 troops

MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. Contingents from the Polish army have been sent to the country's borders with Germany as well as Lithuania to fight illegal immigration, while Operation Safe Podlasie has been expanded to the border with Lithuania, Poland’s Defense Minister Wladysіaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

"Operation Safe West has kicked off, with the Polish army supporting border guards and police on the border with Germany. We are also expanding our activities on the border with Lithuania as part of Operation Safe Podlasie," the minister wrote on the X social media platform. According to him, the operation could involve up to 5,000 troops.

Poland introduced border control measures on its frontiers with Germany and Lithuania on July 7. According to the Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak, the operation involves 800 border guards, backed by 300 police officers, 200 military gendarmes and 500 territorial defense troops. The minister said that the goal was to combat illegal immigration.

On July 1, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Warsaw’s decision to introduce temporary controls on the borders with Germany and Lithuania for 30 days, with an option for further extension. Apart from being aimed at combating illegal immigration, Warsaw was also responding to similar measures taken by Germany in the fall of 2024.

The Polish army’s Operation Safe Podlasie on the border with Belarus, which began in August 2024, involves some 6,000 troops.