- Poland has unveiled a plan for new defenses along its borders with Russia and Belarus.
- Poland and other European NATO members warn that Russia could launch an attack.
- One image showed a wall, barbed wire, anti-tank obstacles and vegetation.
A NATO country has unveiled a new plan for its border aimed at defending against attacks from Russia.
Poland’s Defense Ministry on Monday touted its “Eastern Shield”, an operation aimed at strengthening its eastern border with Russia and Belarus.
It would be the largest defensive effort on NATO’s eastern flank since the end of World War II in 1945.
A diagram released as part of a policy document shows a segment of the planned “border zone”.
It included at least eight distinct types of defense:
- A permanent fence
- Barbed wire
- An anti-tank ditch
- A field of anti-tank obstacles (called hedgehogs)
- Mining
- Another gap
- A layer of vegetation
Officials also announced plans to increase warning and tracking systems and anti-drone systems, as well as prepare forward operating bases.
Polish Army Chief of Staff General Wiesław Kukuła said the project would strengthen Polish resistance, limit the mobility of enemy troops and protect Polish soldiers and civilians.
The border between Russia and Poland is located at Kaliningrad, the Russian enclave to the north. It also shares a border with Belarus, a dictatorship considered a Russian puppet state that aided Russia during the invasion.
Further south, it borders Ukraine, where Russia has been carrying out a large-scale invasion since 2022.
The plan indicated that not all border areas would be fortified to the maximum – but did not give detailed details. Poland has about 220 km of border with Russia and about 250 km with Belarus.
He said the “Eastern Shield” plan would cover a total of 435 miles of border.
Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Poland’s defense minister, said work on the defenses would begin this year and be completed by 2028.
The Polish Deputy Prime Minister estimated the cost at $2.56 billion.
The project is carried out in cooperation with the neighboring Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, with whom Poland is working to increase security in the region.
All four countries were once dominated by the Soviet Union and have openly expressed the possibility of another attack by Russia.
Poland and the Baltics have been Ukraine’s most outspoken allies, advocating more radical responses than most Western countries.
Poland spends a higher percentage of its GDP on defense than any other NATO member, including the United States.
Warnings that Russia could attack
Poland is one of several European NATO members to warn that Russia could attack elsewhere in Europe if it is not defeated in Ukraine. Due to NATO’s collective defense clause, this would likely also draw the United States into a larger war.
The head of Poland’s national security agency said late last year that Russia could attack NATO countries within three years, or by 2026.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also said in March that Europe was in a “pre-war era” and needed to prepare urgently.
Other Russian neighbors strengthen their borders
Other countries close to Russia are also strengthening their border defenses.
The Baltics are also planning large fortifications on their borders with Russia and Belarus, including bunkers.
Six NATO countries – Poland, Finland, Norway and the three Baltic states – are also reportedly considering building a “drone wall” to defend against Russia.
Poland already has a border wall between it and Belarus, built by its previous government last year to prevent migration.
Poland and its neighbors say Russia is targeting them by sending migrants across their borders and launching cyberattacks, describing the actions as Russian efforts to destabilize Europe.
News Source : www.businessinsider.com
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