ON THE pOLAND-BELARUS BORDER

The word “wisent” denotes the European bison. It’s the national animal of Poland, symbolizing strength and power, and an apt name for the Estonian unit operating with allies on the Polish-Belarus border.

By: Lieutenant JANNO ISAT , WISENT 2 information officer

The first Estonian task force of its kind entered service in December 2021 and consisted mainly of Scouts Battalion active-duty and reserve forces. Although the primary function was to erect border barriers, the unit also incorporated a combat camera team (CCT), national support element (NSE) and surveillance teams with drone capability.

Repelling Hybrid Threats

The reason for deploying this unit to Poland was aggressive actions undertaken by Belarus against its neighbours, one form of which was flooding the Polish border with streams of illegal migrants. In the past, there had not been a need for substantial border installations or barriers on the Latvian, Lithuanian or Polish border since the iron-fisted Belarus security forces kept things under sufficient control on their side. Now, however, the dictatorship’s democratic neighbours found themselves in an unexpected crisis, and Estonia had to rally to offer assistance to its allies. Other than Estonia, only Great Britain was contributing units to Poland, so Estonia’s contribution was very visible and highly appreciated.

Estonia’s task forces were operating in Poland in the context of bilateral cooperation on NATO territory. Wisent was thus not a foreign mission, but rather participation in an exercise under the command and in support of an ally’s division. This format allowed for more flexible use of reservists as well.

THE SECOND ROTATION – WISENT 2

On 16th of January 2022, the Wisent 2 task forces arrived in its deployment area in Poland – the Voivodship of Lublin – continuing cooperation with the Polish 18th mechanized division. Estonians were under the command of this division, just like the local units operating here. The operations on the border were continued in the same area in which the first Estonian task force had been operating.

This time, the core of the unit was manned by the Estonian Defence League’s Western territorial defence district, while the support command took care of logistical support. Lt. Col. Rasmus Lippur, who is usually based in the Defence Forces, was appointed unit commander. Lippur has also served as leader of the Pärnu district and the

Western territorial defence district and as a Defence League member he is part of the Western district’s Lihula separate company. Wisent 2 was thus an welcome opportunity to be reunited with many of his old comrades.

For the same reason, Lippur made an offer to the Senior Warrant Officer Hannes Aus, the warrant officer for his district, to also go along to Poland. Aus did not have to think about it long and accepted the weighty post of warrant officer of the task force. As mentioned, Lieutenant Colonel Lippur, like myself and Senior Warrant Officer Aus, was a volunteer Defence Leaguer. A number of other active-duty task force members were also in this kind of double role. This undoubtedly benefited the atmosphere and mutual understanding in the whole team. A volunteer has an understanding of other volunteers, whether they are serving on the staff, in a car depot or building border infrastructure. Age doesn’t matter in this regard – the difference between the youngest and oldest members was a whopping 44 years!

Personal Praise From Top Polish Brass

The first rotation included not just one but two camera crews, which were in the Polish division’s chain of command, i.e. preparing necessary media resources. Where possible the Estonian unit’s information officers also provided support in producing materials aimed at the home market. Wisent 2 included one three-member CCT crew (senior reporter, video operator, photographer) and in Poland, they were complemented by an Estonian liaison (non-commissioned) officer for the division. Use of this tactical capability was a new and interesting experience for Poland’s allies. Since the feedback from the units was very positive, the 18th Division has started building the same kind of capability for itself along with purchasing the necessary photographic and video equipment.

The “Iron Division”, as the 18th is called in Poland, has made it a focus priority to raise its visibility and cover the units’ activities in various channels. The division’s commander, Maj. Gen. Jarosław Gromadziński is himself an active social media user and well poised to appreciate the contribution and abilities of the Estonian camera crew. This is expressed by both the general’s personal shout-out to Wisent2’s CCT crew and the sheer number of the tasks assigned to them.

The division also shared social media posts and materials created by the Estonian contingent.

According to Maj. Gen. Gromadziński, Estonian assistance was very welcome expression of the solidarity between the two allies. “Cooperation with the Estonians was great: they were dedicated, motivated and hard-working,” assured the general. “The readiness to operate in sometimes difficult winter conditions and the volunteer Defence League members professionalism are impressive!,” added the Polish division commander with appreciation. He said he was convinced that assisting allies to shore up the border represented a broad-based contribution to the security of both countries and if necessary, the Poles would come to Estonians’ assistance.

A Formative Experience Both Personally And For The Defence League

A major plus is the support from locals and positive attitude toward Estonians from both service people and from civilians. One colourful episode in Wisent 2’s history is when a local Polish farm family brought pancakes to the Defence League member on the front lines!

Lippur and Aus say they hear only praise for the Defence League unit; they worked hard and the esprit de corps was high. They also gained many valuable lessons from combat engineers, and experience interoperating with allies.

At a parade review of troops conducted in Pärnu County on the occasion of Wisent 2’s return to Estonia, the Defence League’s commander, Brig. Gen. Riho Ühtegi, also had praise for the taskforce. He said it was a characterbuilding experience for the organization: “The Defence League once again proved that it is capable of rapidly and effectively contributing to carrying out a new task. I want to take this opportunity to thank and recognize the Defence League members’ employers who allowed their employees to join the taskforce with little advance notice.”

That was a fitting way to close Wisent 2’s operations in Poland. For my part, I would also like to convey the emotions of all of the unit’s members regarding the great and supportive attitude the Poles showed toward us. Brothers in arms in the best sense of the word.