Tusk says Poland is ready to mine its border with Russia and Belarus – Reuters
Photo: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Getty Images)
Poland will be able to deploy anti-personnel mines along its eastern border within just 48 hours in the event of a threat. This will become possible immediately after the country officially withdraws from the Ottawa Convention, states Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Reuters reports.
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Preparation for border mining
The head of the Polish government emphasized that measures to mine the territories bordering Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad region are part of a comprehensive defense strategy.
"We are in the process of finalising this mine project, which is crucial for our security, for the security of our territory and border," Tusk said during a press conference.
These measures are being implemented under the East Shield initiative. In addition, Warsaw is preparing to resume domestic production of anti-personnel mines, which have not been manufactured in the country since the Cold War.
Withdrawal from international restrictions
Poland will officially withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines, on February 20, 2026. The withdrawal process began in August last year and lasted the six months required by law.
According to Polish government officials, the country is also considering the possibility of supplying the produced mines to partners.
Earlier, Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Zalewski noted that Warsaw plans to resume production of anti-personnel mines in order to deploy them along its eastern border and potentially export them to Ukraine.
East Shield
The East Shield project is a large-scale program to strengthen Poland’s borders with Russia and Belarus, with a budget of 10 billion zlotys.
In November 2024, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the start of construction of the first fortifications along the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
It was also previously reported that Poland plans to expand this project to the border with Ukraine to enhance overall security.
