WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Defense officials in NATO member Poland presented plans Monday for reinforcements and strengthening of the eastern border with Russia and Moscow ally Belarus.
The government says Poland, which is supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, is the target of hostile actions by Russia and Belarus. These include cyber attacks, arson attempts and illegally pushing migrants across the border, which officials describe as aimed at destabilizing the European Union, of which Poland is a member.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government has planned a series of security measures, including in cyberspace, as well as investments of around $2.5 billion in securing the eastern border, known as Shield-East. Ha said last week that work on the shield has begun.
Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces General Wiesław Kukuła present the details of the improvement of border protection, including modern blockades, fortifications and surveillance that should deter any potential aggressor.
The Defense Ministry says the system will be part of the regional defense infrastructure being built jointly with the Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia – which are also on NATO’s eastern flank.
Shield-East will “significantly strengthen the country’s resilience against military threats from the east, limiting the mobility of adversary forces while providing greater freedom of action and survival to our own forces and to civilians,” it said. the Ministry.
Poland’s previous right-wing government built a $400 million wall on the border with Belarus to stem the massive influx of migrants that began pushing from that direction in 2021. The current pro-EU government says it needs to be strengthened.
The three Baltic states were once part of the Soviet Union, while Poland was a satellite state of the USSR before the 1990s. Moscow still considers the area to be within its sphere of interests.
