Poland Ready to Increase Troops on Eastern Border

Poland's armed forces are prepared to increase the number of soldiers at the country's eastern border, announced the Minister of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak, during a speech in the Sejm.

“We are ready to enhance the military presence at the Polish-Belarusian border; we will protect Poland's borders, and the police and border guard will be supported and equipped with better technology,” he assured.

Addressing the previously announced decision regarding the preparation of the national defense and deterrence plan called “Shield of the East,” Błaszczak explained that under this program, various types of fortification equipment will be gathered at the border, but not only that: “The main aspect is new technologies that will be used for fortifications; these will include not only concrete hedgehogs or wall blocks. It will also be a collection of equipment used in a timely and appropriate manner. Everything is aimed at monitoring. Fully equipped observation, reconnaissance, and combat systems will be deployed along our 400-kilometer border, especially with Belarus and the Russian Federation,” said the minister.

According to the minister, the activity of illegal immigrants at the Polish-Belarusian border has begun to increase again. “Up until May 19 of this year, we have recorded 14,000 attempts to cross the Polish-Belarusian border, which is a 46 percent increase compared to last year,” said the head of the administration.

“There are 5,500 soldiers deployed there; we are increasing funding. This year, we will allocate 850 million zloty (approximately 212 million dollars) from the Ministry of Defense budget for the financing of this task force, compared to 500 million zloty (125 million dollars) last year,” added the minister.

Błaszczak also mentioned that decisions are being made to update the wall constructed at the border. “In many places, it has proven to be ineffective and needs modernization and improvement,” he noted.

Warsaw is continually strengthening its military capabilities at the eastern border, particularly with the establishment of a new (18th) mechanized brigade and the deployment of new weapons and military equipment.

Poland has already constructed a wall along the border with Belarus. The wall measures 186 kilometers in length, is five meters high, and costs 1.6 billion zloty (around 400 million dollars). The structure is equipped with night vision cameras, motion sensors, and other electronics.