Poland deploys drone countermeasure system on Belarus border

Poland has installed the first elements of a drone countermeasure system along its border with Belarus, set to become operational in January, Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski announced.

The system was mounted on a watchtower near the town of Krynki in Podlaskie Voivodeship, at a height of over 70 meters. It will use radar technology and is planned to expand to four additional towers already constructed in the area, Caliber.Az reports, citing RMF24.

The minister noted that the radar is scheduled to be activated in January 2026. Initially, the system will detect and track drones approaching from the east and will also have the capability to neutralise them.

Sensor data from the system will be transmitted to an electronic monitoring centre in Białystok, as well as to border posts along the Belarusian barrier.

The new system was entirely designed and manufactured by Polish companies.

Poland’s decision to bolster its eastern frontier is part of a broader fortification plan called East Shield, aimed at countering hybrid and military threats from Russia and its ally Belarus, including surveillance upgrades, barriers and anti‑drone defences.

In September 2025, a wave of about 19 Russian drones entered Polish airspace from the east during an attack on Ukraine, prompting NATO and Polish aircraft to shoot down multiple drones and heightening concerns about low‑altitude unmanned aerial threats near the Belarus border.

The surge in drone and other irregular activities near the border has been accompanied by tensions over joint Russian‑Belarusian military exercises and hybrid pressure tactics such as migrant flows and electronic interference, which Poland views as part of a wider security challenge.

Poland, together with NATO allies, is now pushing for enhanced integrated air and border defences, including advanced radar, surveillance and counter‑UAV systems, because existing capabilities have been tested by recent incursions and conventional air defences are costly and less effective against low‑cost drones.

By Jeyhun Aghazada