Some 40,000 soldiers, up from around 10,000, will be deployed to Poland's eastern border in the coming days in response to the Russia-Belarus Zapad military exercises, which begin in Belarus on Sept. 12, the deputy minister of national defense said.

Axar.az reports, citing Anadolu Agency, "Poland has been preparing for the Zapad-2025 exercises for many months. The Polish military conducted exercises in which over 30,000 soldiers participated," Cezary Tomczyk told television channel Polsat News late Wednesday.

“Polish and NATO soldiers are needed to adequately respond to Zapad-2025," Tomczyk said, adding that the Russian and Belarusian exercises are considered offensive. "This is where the war in Ukraine began. Therefore, the Polish military has been preparing for this. In the coming days, we will have approximately 40,000 soldiers on the border," he said.