Anti-tank ‘Hedgehog’ barriers, modern surveillance systems and trenches – it is all part of Poland’s fortification of its border with Russia over fears of a broader conflict in Europe.
Worth around £2 billion, ‘East Shield’ is the largest programme of its nature on the continent since the end of World War II.
It aims to fortify Poland’s borders with Belarus, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to deter Vladimir Putin’s imperialist ambitions.
Prime minister Donald Tusk, who traveled today to inspect progress in the construction of the military fortifications, called it ‘an investment in peace.’
Standing in front of concrete anti-tank barriers, he told a news conference: ‘The better the Polish border is guarded, the more difficult it is to access for those with bad intentions.’
The country has been at the mercy of aggressive neighbors over the past centuries and has become a leading European voice for security at a time when France and Germany are weakened by internal political problems.
Turk’s government aims to spend 4.7% of its gross domestic product on defence next year, making the country one of Nato’s leaders in defence spending.
Its borders with Russia, Belarus – as well as Ukraine – are the easternmost external borders of both the European Union and Nato.
Tusk said he expected the East Shield to eventually be expanded to protect the small Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
‘Everything we are doing here – and we will also be doing this on the border with Belarus and Ukraine – is to deter and discourage a potential aggressor, which is why it is truly an investment in peace,’ Tusk said.
‘We will spend billions of zlotys on this, but right now the whole of Europe is observing these investments and our actions with great satisfaction and will support them if necessary.’
Poland is not alone in planning for a conflict in Europe. So far, Germany is drawing up ‘bunker plans’ in case of a bombing.
It is developing an app to help people locate the nearest shelter in event of an attack.
Meanwhile, Sweden is distributing a 32-page pamphlet titled ‘In case of a crisis or war’ because of what the government calls a worsening security situation.
In neighbouring Finland, half a million people have already downloaded an emergency preparedness guide.
And during the summer, Denmark emailed adults with details on the water, food and medicine they would need to get through a crisis for three days.
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