the essential
Polish authorities have begun erecting fortifications on the border that the country shares with Russia and Belarus. The Eastern Shield will extend over 400 km. Poland wants to secure its border with its eastern neighbors.
“Construction of the Eastern Shield has begun”. It was with these words on his X account, Thursday October 31, that the Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk announced the official start of the work. Poland has started digging a trench on its border with Russia and plans to build 400 km of fortifications.
“Eastern Shield”#Poland #Russia #Belarus #NATO #HybridWar pic.twitter.com/PG1TRkQgGy
— Ulfh3dnar (@Ulfh3dnar_)
The Eastern Shield will be erected along the border between Poland and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, to the north of Polish territory, and on the border with Belarus, a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin. The work will last until 2028.
800 km of ditches at the border
The Polish government will dig 800 km of ditches to strengthen anti-drone surveillance, equip the ditches with minefields, anti-tank fences, telecommunications systems and set up video surveillance. Last May, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced his desire to spend 2.35 billion euros to strengthen security at the Polish border.
Two and a half years after the invasion of Ukraine, several countries of the former “Eastern bloc” increasingly fear an attack on their territory and a possible arrival of Vladimir Putin's soldiers. This is the case of Poland, which is a member of NATO. “The purpose of the shield is to protect Polish territory, to hinder the mobility of the enemy's troops while facilitating this mobility for our own troops and to protect civilians,” explained Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak. Kamysz during a press conference last May.
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In the spring, the Polish Air Force deployed fighter jets to protect the country's airspace against Russian missiles targeting western Ukraine.
Protect Europe
To finance this work, the government plans to invest heavily – it will devote more than 4% of its GDP to defense – and is also counting on funding from Europe. The Poles point out that the fortifications will strengthen the eastern border of the bloc of 27 European countries. This work represents the largest program to strengthen NATO's eastern flank since the end of the Second World War in 1945.
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