Poland has launched construction of a major defence project, a 400-mile “East Shield,” along its borders with Russia and Belarus.
The project is set to cost £1.9 billion and is designed to strengthen NATO’s eastern frontier as tensions remain high due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
It includes a complex series of defences such as anti-tank barriers, bunkers, surveillance technology, and anti-drone systems, all aimed at safeguarding Poland from potential threats, The Daily Mail reports.
Advanced technology, including artificial intelligence and satellite components, will be integrated to provide what Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk described as “protection for the wars of the future.”
Tusk has been a strong advocate for Poland’s enhanced security efforts, especially as concerns rise over Russian intentions in the region.
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He stressed that the new defences would serve as a powerful deterrent, specifically against any aggressive moves from the militarised Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, located on Poland’s northern border.
“This is a message to those who wish Poland harm,” Tusk said, “to stay away from our borders.”
One of the core elements of the East Shield will be a multi-layered line of physical barriers. These will include fences, ditches, minefields, and a primary border fence supported by barbed wire and anti-tank trenches.
Additionally, the line of defence will feature “dragon’s teeth” – concrete blocks designed to prevent armoured vehicles from advancing. Bunkers and shelters will also be placed strategically in forested areas as an extra layer of protection for personnel.
Poland’s decision to move forward with this project comes amid broader concerns about “hybrid warfare” tactics, which Warsaw claims are being employed by both Russia and Belarus.
Polish officials have suggested that both countries are complicit in using migratory pressure as a tool to destabilise the region, directing asylum seekers toward Poland’s eastern borders and creating logistical and political challenges.
The ambitious project is expected to be fully operational by 2028. As a top NATO spender by GDP, Poland has invested heavily in the military, especially in light of potential changes to US defence policies.
President-elect Donald Trump, due to take office in January, has previously claimed that he wants to reduce US support to Ukraine and hinted at creating a demilitarised buffer zone across Ukraine’s front lines, which would rely on European troops for security.
