Defense officials in Poland have shared details on a plan to strengthen the country’s eastern border. They say Poland is at constant risk of hostile actions by Russia and its ally, Belarus.
NATO member Poland on Monday elaborated on a plan to reinforce anti-drone surveillance and construct fortifications along some 700 kilometers (430 miles) of its border with Russian exclave Kaliningrad, and Russian ally Belarus.
The system, called Shield-East, is to be completed in 2028 and aims to protect Poland from hostile actions across the border, which up to now have included pushing migrants illegally into the country, an EU member.
The presentation of the plan comes as many countries from the former “Eastern Bloc” increasingly fear Russian aggression in view of Moscow’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
To play the devil’s advocate, Poland and the Baltic states received a lot of third country refugees (from Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, etc.) from Russia and Belarus before the war in Ukraine.
It was a hybrid warfare campaign where Russians would advertise how easy it is to cross the border and how good life is on the other side. They would also help them get to the border.
Those refugees quickly overran Baltic refugee centers and caused political instability.