Poland will start building the first elements of enhanced defense lines along its borders with Russia and Belarus by the end of 2024, according to Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk.
Poland is Ukraine’s western neighbor, that has hosted millions of Ukrainian refugees since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and has also been a critical supplier of military aid to Ukraine. The country borders Russia and its closest ally Belarus. Along with the Baltic states, Poland is believed to be a future potential target for Russian aggression if Ukraine were to fall.
This initiative is part of a larger plan announced in May to invest 10 billion zlotys ($2.5 billion) in fortifying Poland’s northern and eastern borders by 2028, Reuters reports.
The project, prompted by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aims to strengthen Poland’s border defenses with fortifications, surveillance systems, and anti-drone technology.
“In the next three weeks, we will be able to carry out the first tests of the East Shield elements on Polish military training grounds,” said Deputy Defense Minister Tomczyk.
Tomczyk also revealed that the project would be developed in collaboration with Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, as well as with British and American forces, highlighting the international nature of the initiative.
The country is increasing its military spending from 4.2% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense in 2024 to 4.7% projected for 2025.
When asked about defense spending beyond 2025, Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz indicated that the upward trend should continue.
However, Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed concern about the recent escalation of conflict in the Middle East. He warned that this development could potentially shift global attention, particularly from the United States, away from the situation in Ukraine.
In June, Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia called for NATO to establish a robust defense line along Europe’s eastern border in response to heightened security concerns from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Related:
- Reuters: Poland, Baltics call for “defense line” along Europe’s Eastern border
- Poland, Latvia and Romania call for immediate air defense reinforcement in NATO’s east
- Ukrainian deputy defense minister in Poland: World’s security architecture is impossible without Ukraine
- Russia-Ukraine war prompts Poland to bolster self-defense readiness
