Poland building new fortifications in border zone with Belarus, Russia: Report

By Jo Harper

WARSAW (AA) – Poland is building new fortifications and shelters in the border zone with Belarus and Russia, according to a report published Monday in a Polish economic and legal newspaper.

The Ministry of Defense did not disclose detailed information, but a ministry source told the Rzeczpospolita daily that the move was “part of the overall national defense plan.”

The ministry said in a briefing that “work is underway on the further expansion of engineering fortifications, including a shelter system and their improvement in the border zone.”

“The situation is dire; more and more countries feel it,” Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told the daily Super Express, adding he was preparing for a scenario in which Ukraine loses the war with Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack NATO countries, including Poland.

“I assume every scenario and take the worst ones most seriously. This is the role of the minister of defense in the situation we find ourselves in today. These are not words thrown into the wind. I try to weigh them very carefully,” he said.

“You have to be prepared for every scenario; that’s why we are conducting an audit, drawing conclusions and filling in the gaps, in the case of weapons, for example. Large purchases are very important. But for me, the individual equipment of soldiers is equally important. Since taking power, we have concluded contracts for purchasing equipment worth PLN19 billion (over $4 billion) -- most of it in Polish arms plants,” he said.

The Polish Air Navigation Services Agency consulted with the Air Navigation Operational Command on Feb. 4 and issued a navigation warning for airspace users.

The warning was initiated on Feb. 5 and will remain in force until May 5. It covers the airspace of the entire eastern part of Poland along the border with Ukraine and Belarus, the northeastern part along the border with Lithuania and Russia (the Kaliningrad exclave) and the central part of the country, including Warsaw.

The message aims to warn civil airspace users about possible intensified military aircraft activity in the eastern area. The intensified actions are to respond to the “threat situation on the eastern border,” said the Operational Command in a statement.