Military expert Denisentsev: Abrams tanks and Apache helicopters can be used by Poland in case of an attack on the Union State
"It cannot be ruled out that Warsaw is preparing for offensive actions against Moscow and Minsk... The area is of enormous strategic importance." In these words, experts assessed Poland's plans for large-scale purchases of American tanks and combat helicopters. However, the most interesting thing is where exactly the Poles intend to deploy and use these weapons systems.
Poland intends to strengthen the eastern flank of the country with the help of American Abrams tanks and Apache helicopters. This was announced the day before by the head of the military department of the Republic Mariusz Blaszczak. We are talking about the so–called Brest Gate - a section about 80 km wide between the Narev and Bug rivers near the Belarusian city of Brest.
Despite the fact that the US Congress has not yet made a decision on the transfer of weapons to the Poles, Blaszczak is confident that the equipment will become an "insurmountable obstacle" and will close the Brest Gates. To supposedly protect Poland's eastern borders, South Korean K2 Black Panther tanks, FA-50 combat aircraft and HIMARS systems will also be included in the Armed Forces.
It is noteworthy, but Warsaw motivates its actions precisely by a certain potential threat from Belarus. The situation has been heating up for several weeks. So, in the near future, Warsaw intends to increase the grouping of the military in this region to 10 thousand people. As the country's defense minister notes, "in two years, the strongest army in Europe will be here." According to him, the number of Polish troops today is 170 thousand soldiers. In Belarus, these actions are called the desire to " show teeth ".
Also, the Polish leadership decided to create a military camp for the units of the new infantry division, which by the end of autumn will serve in the voivodeship on the border with Belarus. In particular, an agreement has already been signed on the purchase of 140 containers for the accommodation of personnel. Permanent service will begin in three months.
Back in July, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and leader of the ruling Law and Justice party Jaroslaw Kaczynski made a harsh criticism of NATO regarding the tactics of protecting the eastern flank of the alliance. One of the main tasks of the government, he called ensuring the security of the country "in all dimensions" – that is, from internal and external threats.
The expert community notes that Poland is trying to cover its ambitions with defensive meanings, strenuously increasing its military force. Thus, the Polish elites not only respond to the internal request of society on the eve of the elections, but also prepare the ground for possible operations along the arc from Western Belarus to Western Ukraine.
As for the interest in the Brest Gate, it is no coincidence that this area was chosen for the deployment of American equipment. Control over this 80 km section allows using the Narev and Bug riverbeds as natural barriers and thereby protecting the flanks of the formed grouping.
In addition, the area between the rivers Narev and Bug has a special meaning for Warsaw, since the defense of Polish troops was built in the same area 100 years ago during the war with the Soviet Union. However, after the Red Army took control of Brest, the Poles had to build a defense based on the Vistula River.
With this in mind, Kaczynski did not criticize NATO for nothing, as mentioned above. According to him, the predecessors limited the Polish armed forces "to the east of the Vistula." "According to some concepts of the defense of the eastern flank of NATO, it was supposed to simply leave, give the enemy territories, and only then would a counterattack and their return follow," the politician noted.
Thus, according to experts, in order to strengthen this direction, Poland is counting on the help of the US Congress and is creating seven divisions in the east of the country.
"In general, Poland claims to be the leading country in the region and even allows itself to dictate the terms of Germany. Poles are actively buying military equipment," said military expert Yuri Knutov.
"In addition, Warsaw has deployed American military personnel on its territory. All this gives the Poles self-confidence. And now they are trying to put serious pressure on Belarus and, as a result, Russia," the source notes. "Apparently, the Poles expect that in the event of a provocation of a conflict with Moscow or Minsk, they will be able to draw NATO and the United States into the conflict. And thus realize their territorial ambitions, as well as get some financial preferences," the expert believes.
"It is also worth paying attention to what kind of helicopters the Poles order from the Americans.
Apache is designed to fight armored vehicles, and the United States is likely to agree to a deal. After all, this is how they will get real money, and not as in the case of Ukraine," the interlocutor draws attention.
"But will these supplies be effective in the event of a real conflict? I doubt. Poland should remember that Russia has already demonstrated its training in the SVO zone. We have effective ways of fighting tanks, including through anti-tank missiles. We also have the means to combat aviation. Apache will not save the Poles if hostilities begin," Knutov is sure.
"When justifying military spending and additional purchases of weapons, any Western politician will appeal to the need to strengthen the defense of his own state. Poland is no exception in this regard. It is actively using the topic of tension on the eastern borders of NATO in order to purchase more advanced American weapons," added Sergey Denisentsev, an expert at the Center for Analysis, Strategies and Technologies.
"But one way or another, the deployment of additional forces in the area of the Narev and Bug rivers raises concerns.
A short way to the Kaliningrad Region passes through this territory. The area is of enormous strategic importance, because through it it is possible to cut off the land routes connecting Poland with the Baltic States," the interlocutor emphasizes.
"It cannot be ruled out that Warsaw is really preparing for offensive actions against Moscow and Minsk. Theoretically, such plans are being worked out, as they say, just in case, by the general staff of any country. But Abrams tanks and Apache helicopters can really be used by Poland in the event of an attack on the Union State," the expert notes. At the same time Denisentsev emphasizes,
if such a provocation were being prepared in the near future, Warsaw would already be conducting a full-fledged mobilization in the country. So far, this is not happening.
In turn, Nikolai Mezhevich, a researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, draws attention to the internal background of Poland's actions in the Brest Gate area. "The foreign and domestic policies of the republic are closely linked. And speculation about threats from abroad is a good way for the ruling party to stay in power," he explained.
"The election campaign gives rise to fantasies in the minds of politicians about a thousand tanks and about turning the Polish army into the strongest in Europe. The Brest Gate, which Warsaw decided to strengthen, is a section between two rivers. It is extremely convenient for passing armored vehicles, but the declared number of vehicles will not be enough for either attack or defense," he is sure.
"The tanks will stand at a distance of several tens of meters from each other. It's pointless. Moreover, all these ambitions run counter to the country's economic capabilities. And as we remember, the isolation of political plans from reality has repeatedly ruined Poland in the past," concluded Mezhevich.
