Poland confirms construction of “Shield East” also on border with Ukraine

This was stated by the head of the Polish government Donald Tusk during a media briefing on Saturday in the village of Dabrowka, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (northeastern Poland), near the border with Russia, Ukrinform reports citing PAP.

“Everything we are doing here [on the border with Russia] and will also do on the border with Belarus and Ukraine is aimed at deterring and deterring a possible aggressor, so this is really an investment in peace,” Tusk said.

He added that Warsaw will spend billions of zlotys on this, and if necessary, EU countries will support these investments.

The Polish prime minister pointed out that the first section of the “Shield East” has 3,500 concrete elements that have just been completed.

The Prime Minister of Poland assured that the Baltic states will cooperate with Poland to make this infrastructure effective not only on the Polish section of the border, but also along the entire length of the border, “especially with Russia and Belarus.”

“Our activities, for other reasons, will also concern the security of the border with Ukraine. However, we want Poles to feel safer along the entire eastern border,” Tusk emphasized.

According to the Prime Minister of Poland, there are no plans for forced resettlement from the border area due to the construction of Shield East. He emphasized that these investments will make the Warmian-Masurian, Podlaskie, Lubelskie, and Podkarpackie voivodeships safer.

The head of the Polish government drew attention to the fact that this project is a well-thought-out sequence of effective protection consisting of concrete hedges, anti-tank ditches, and elements of the natural environment.

“This is the largest project of its kind in the history of Europe after 1945,” Tusk stated.

As the agency reported earlier, Warsaw will build 700 km of fortifications, detection and warning systems, advanced bases, logistics hubs and drone countermeasures on the border with Russia and Belarus by 2028 as part of the Shield East project. The cost of its implementation will be 10 billion zlotys (over USD 2.5 billion).

Photo: PAP/Tomasz Waszczuk