Poland is working together with Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland to build a common protective fence on the borders with Russia and Belarus. This was announced by representatives of the Polish government at meetings with journalists specializing in covering the activities of the EU and NATO, quoted by BTA.
The project, called “Eastern Shield“, is conceived as a synergy between the resources of the EU and the military-political union to counter threats from Moscow and Minsk. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2028, costing Poland more than two billion euros.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Poland has closed half of its 14 border checkpoints with Belarus due to a significant influx of illegal migrants. Last year alone, their number reached 30,000, mostly from Africa and Asia. Polish authorities claim that Belarusian border guards are actively facilitating these flows by providing transportation to the border.
The Polovtsy border crossing, closed since June 2023, is now quiet, replaced by a 5-meter-high metal fence, barbed wire and surveillance technology. These include night vision cameras and motion and temperature sensors. Polish soldiers are deployed along the nearly 400-kilometer border with Belarus.
“What you see is not theater – "This is the daily reality," said Colonel Mariusz Oszalski. According to him, the importance of the fence goes beyond Poland's national interests, protecting the borders of the EU and NATO and representing a dividing line between the democratic world and authoritarianism.
Government data shows that between 7,000 and 12,000 Polish soldiers have been involved in guarding the eastern border in recent months.
Poland also faces significant hybrid threats - cyberattacks, phishing campaigns and the spread of disinformation. An example of this is the case in May 2024, when the website of the Polish news agency PAP was hacked and fake news about the mobilization of 400,000 men was published. The country has recorded over 4,000 cyberattack attempts in the past year.
General Karol Molenda, head of the military's cyber-defense forces, noted that hybrid threats also include social engineering used to destabilize Western societies. The "Eastern Shield" also covers the border with Ukraine, including reinforced air defenses and anti-tank trenches.
Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Wladyslaw Koziniak reported that Poland has so far trained 26,000 Ukrainian fighters and plans to continue training additional forces. General Molenda added that 89% of international military aid to Ukraine passes through Poland, making the country strategically vulnerable.