There are plans to flood a certain section of the border where Poland meets Russia and Belarus. This will be an additional measure to strengthen the existing system, which consists of a 5.5-meter high fence separating the country from Belarus.
Thinking Ahead
The expansion of the program was announced by the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk. The construction of fortifications will include a system of:
- concrete shelters;
- dense forest plantations (providing a tactical advantage in case of armed border defense);
- significant flooded areas.
The area where this system is being established is extensive, stretching for 400 kilometers along the eastern administrative boundaries. Measures are currently being identified as urgent and essential, as both eastern neighbors, Russia and Belarus, constantly engage in provocations in the form of hybrid attacks, utilizing illegal migrants. This activity intensifies every year, necessitating a review of the existing system.
Now Cheaper
Donald Tusk mentioned that he receives reports every day (sometimes multiple times a day) about attempts to illegally cross the border. These attempts are organized by the forces of the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. They resort to aggressive methods to cross the border. In order to restore Poland’s sense of security on its eastern borders, the necessary infrastructure will be built, and a significant amount of land will have to be flooded if it cannot be fully controlled.
It is worth noting that the current Prime Minister is not the first initiator of such measures. The previous government built a reliable wall at the border, over five meters high and stretching for 180 km. Additionally, it was complemented by a dense network of cameras and motion sensors that monitor the administrative border between the two countries around the clock. All of this is done under the “Eastern Shield” program aimed at deterring aggression from Russia and Belarus. As history shows, having aggressive neighbors is a very costly luxury. Just to strengthen the existing system, Poland will allocate over 2.55 billion dollars in the coming years.
