Poland kicks off "East Shield" project to fortify border with Russia

Poland has officially launched the construction of defensive structures known as the "East Shield" along its border with the Russian Federation. 

Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced this initiative on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), highlighting that these are the initial efforts to enhance border security against potential threats from Russia, Caliber.Az reports.

Budowa Tarczy Wschód ruszyła! Pierwsze roboty przy granicy z Rosją. pic.twitter.com/2B6glKESx7

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) October 31, 2024

His post, which included a photo of excavators at work, garnered over 208,000 views by the morning of November 1.

On October 28, Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, the Polish Undersecretary of State in the EU Affairs Division, mentioned plans to leverage Poland's EU presidency in the first half of 2025 to secure funding for these defensive fortifications. "Our goal is to secure funding for the 'East Shield.' We should not bear the costs of its construction alone," she stated.

Warsaw is considering utilizing funds from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and is seeking support from EU partners to classify defence projects as eligible investment areas for EIB financing.

The "East Shield" project aims to create a comprehensive network of fortifications, barriers, bunkers, and surveillance systems along the borders with Russia and Belarus. The total estimated cost for the East Shield initiative is approximately 10 billion zlotys (over $2.5 billion), with construction expected to conclude by 2028.

Polish President Andrzej Duda remarked that the Eastern Shield would serve as a modern "Iron Curtain," reinforcing the country's defences. Earlier, in August, Polish Interior Minister Tomasz Semoniak announced plans to bolster Poland's eastern border to protect against perceived threats from the Russian military amid ongoing operations in Ukraine.

Despite these developments, Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently affirmed that Russia does not seek conflict with NATO countries and has no territorial ambitions toward them, expressing readiness for cooperative relations.

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. 

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.

By Tamilla Hasanova