Photo : Fence on the Polish-Belarusian border near n. Opaka Duza
Poland will invest 10 billion zlotys ($2.55 billion) in a program to protect its eastern border from the growing threat from Russia and Belarus, it said on Saturday, May 18. the country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, reports Reuters.
After the Belarusian authorities opened travel agencies in the Middle East offering a new unofficial route to Europe, migrants began to flock to the Polish border with Belarus in 2021, which, according to EU, led to the creation of a crisis.
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, relations became even more tense, with Warsaw increasing defense spending and accusing Minsk and Moscow of trying to destabilize Poland.
"We decided to invest 10 billion zlotys in our security , and above all to the security of the eastern border– Tusk said at a press conference. – We are starting a major project to strengthen border security, including the construction of a fortification system, as well as the implementation of landscape and environmental solutions that will make this border difficult for a potential enemy to pass..
The Polish Prime Minister did not provide details about the nature future fortifications.
The previous Polish government built a fence on the Polish-Belarusian border more than 180 km long and 5.5 m high to protect against illegal migration. It is complemented by a system of monitoring cameras and sensors.
Tusk earlier this month announced plans to strengthen the eastern border, but without specifying details.
The Polish prime minister also said that on Monday he will discuss with the European Investment Bank the possibility of providing financing in the amount of PLN 500 million for the satellite component of the European Sky Shield Initiative (European Sky Shield Initiative) – a common air defense system created by Germany in 2022 to strengthen European air defense. Tusk compared it to the Israeli Iron Dome system.
Prepared by: Sergey Daga