The construction of the “East Shield” system of fortifications along Poland’s border with Belarus and Russia will begin in the coming few days, Defence Minister Władyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on October 25.

With Russia’s war raging in neighbouring Ukraine, Poland has grown tense about a scenario in which the Kremlin zeroes in on Poland if Ukraine has been defeated. 

The government earmarked PLN10bn for the border fortification plan that will make the Polish border “safe in times of peace and … impassable for the enemy in times of war”, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in May.

The “East Shield” will feature defence infrastructure such as anti-tank “dragon’s teeth” and trenches along otherwise heavily forested and damp borders with Belarus and Russia. The fortifications will be complete in 2028, the government said.

Poland spends close to 4% of its GDP on defence, making it NATO’s top spender relative to GDP, ahead of the US and Greece. 

Since Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has also become the West’s strategic point for supplying Kyiv with weapons and ammunition. That made the country an important target for Russia’s intelligence, disinformation, and cyberattacks.

Safety of the border is also emerging as a top issue in the campaign ahead of next year's presidential election in Poland, with Tusk having announced recently that Poland is mulling suspending the right to asylum in the face of a "hybrid war" along the country's border with Belarus.