2023-08-14 11:45:00
A convoy of Polish military vehicles during the final rehearsal of a parade ahead of Polish Armed Forces Day, in Warsaw, Poland, on August 12. Pawel Supernak/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Poland’s armed forces are making final preparations for the country’s Army Day on Tuesday, celebrated this year amid tensions on the border with Kremlin ally Belarus.
The event, held annually on August 15, commemorates the anniversary of the 1920 victory over Soviet Russia in the Battle of Warsaw, known locally as the “Miracle of the Vistula.”
A video shared by the Polish military on Sunday showed dozens of tanks and military vehicles taking part in a nighttime rehearsal in Warsaw.
Diplomatic ties between Poland, a NATO member country, and Belarus, a key Kremlin ally, have severed in recent weeks amid increased military activity along the border.
Earlier this year, troops from the Russian military group Wagner were stationed in Belarus after a failed mutiny against Moscow. Its increased presence in the region prompted Warsaw to deploy more troops to the border.
What’s going on: Tuesday’s parade will begin at 2 p.m. (8 a.m. ET) along Wisłostrada, a road that runs along the Vistula River in the capital, according to the Polish Defense Ministry website.
The ministry added that it will present “200 units of Polish and foreign military equipment and 92 aircraft accompanied by 2,000 soldiers.”
The parade will include foreign equipment, including US-made M1A1 Abrams tanks, South Korean K2 tanks and K9 self-propelled howitzers, HIMARS rocket launchers, Krab self-propelled howitzers, as well as Patriot air defense systems, part of the Polish ones. “WISŁA” system, according to the ministry’s website.
Polish production equipment will include, among others: new Borsuk infantry fighting vehicles, Rosomak armored personnel carriers and Rak self-propelled mortars, as well as Baobab-K mines. placement vehicles and Żmija light reconnaissance vehicles, the ministry added.
The army said it would also organize about 70 “military picnics” from Saturday to Tuesday throughout Poland. At picnics, people can talk with crews and have “an opportunity to learn about building combat vehicles,” or try “military pea soup with bread” while watching military movies.
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