Poland Starts Building Fortifications on NATO’s Border With Russia

Poland has started building fortifications along the border it shares with Russia as tensions ramp up amid the war in Ukraine.

“Construction of East Shield has begun!,” said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Thursday, in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The first works are being carried out near the border with Russia.”

The East Shield is a comprehensive national defense initiative launched by Poland in May 2024 to fortify its eastern borders with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The program represents one of the most significant investments in Poland’s national security and border defense in its post-war history, with the government having receiving invested around $2.5 billion in its implementation.

“We do this to deter the enemy, so that all those who wish Poland ill, all those who plan an attack, an aggression against our allies or against our country, hear here today, from the Kraków Main Market Square: stay away from Poland!” Tusk said in May, at an event marking the launch of the initiative.

“Poland is strong, Poland will be safe thanks to its own actions and thanks to its own allies,” he added.

The prime minister also said the East Shield would include a satellite component to provide “another element of safety in space, because, after all the wars of the future will also take place in this space above us.”

The project is set to be completed by 2028. Poland has the highest military spending per GDP out of the NATO countries, according to a recent NATO report.

Newsweek has emailed the press office of the prime minister and president of Poland for comment.

Key Components of the East Shield

Physical Barriers

The construction of fortifications, including anti-tank ditches, bunkers, and other obstacles, designed to impede and control movement across the border.

Advanced Surveillance Systems

Deployment of modern surveillance technologies, some powered by artificial intelligence, encompassing imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and acoustic monitoring. These systems aim to enhance situational awareness and early threat detection.

Electronic Warfare and Anti-Drone Measures

Implementation of electronic warfare capabilities and anti-drone systems to counter potential aerial threats.

Infrastructure Development

Establishment of operational centers for data analysis, integration of surveillance data with weapon systems, and improvement of local infrastructure to support military operations.

The East Shield update comes as the Russia-Ukraine war escalates. Ukraine is urging Western allies for more support as Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities have intensified, with a deadly airstrike in Kharkiv killing civilians. North Korea has deployed 10,000 troops to aid Russia. The Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda subsequently responded that pre-existing restrictions on long-range strikes within Russia by Western weapons supplied to Kyiv should be dropped.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has also recently admitted that the country is experiencing economic turbulence amid sanctions and worker shortages.

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