It is feared that Russia is preparing to utilise Wagner fighters in Belarus to annex a crucial stretch of land between Poland and Lithuania, which might start a third world war.
The Suwalki Corridor, also known as the Suwalki Gap, is a 60-mile stretch of terrain that separates Poland and Lithuania. It is estimated that “a few hundred” mercenaries are congregating there.
The strategically important region, known as NATO’s “weakest link” and “Achilles heel,” has been dubbed the “most dangerous place on earth” because it might be the first point of contact in a global conflict.
Taking control of the corridor would create a land bridge linking the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad – the main base of President Vladimir Putin’s Baltic fleet – and Kremlin ally Belarus.
Wagner troops are poised to launch an invasion attempt ‘in a matter of hours’, a senior Putin ally claimed on state television.
Reservist Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov, who chairs the Russian parliament’s defence committee, said: ‘It is clear that Wagner went to Belarus to train the Belarusian armed forces.
‘There is such a place as the Suwalki Corridor.
‘Should anything happen, we need this Suwalki Corridor very much.
‘A strike force is ready to take this corridor in a matter of hours.’
Poland’s intelligence service said it was monitoring the threat from the Wagner group, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Deputy head of Poland’s special services, Stanislaw Zaryn, said: ‘There may be several hundred of them now.’
He added: ‘The Polish services are monitoring the situation to find out how many Wagnerites will end up in Belarus.’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last year warned Putin could push further into Eastern Europe in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Lithuania has also called on NATO to strengthen forces along its border – with Germany set to deploy 4,000 troops to the region.
Fears of escalating tensions come as two people were killed and one injured in an ‘attack’ on the bridge linking Crimea to the Russia’s Krasnodar region this morning.
Traffic was halted on the 12-mile (19km) bridge in response to an ‘emergency’.
A Telegram channel linked to the Wagner group reported there were two strikes on the bridge in the early hours of Monday morning.
The attack is said to have been carried out as a ‘special operation’ by Ukraine’s naval forces and Security Service.
Russian-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said there was an emergency involving involving the 145th pillar of the bridge in a post on Telegram but did not provide further information.
Krasnodar’s health ministry said a mother and father died in the incident, with their daughter wounded.