The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

Poland aims to fully fortify border with Belarus by mid-2025, senior official says

by Tim Zadorozhnyy December 29, 2024 4:19 PM 2 min read
Polish border guards near the new fence on the Polish-Belarusian border near the village of Nowdziel on June 30, 2022, in Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Poland plans to complete its fortified border wall and close the border with Belarus by next summer, aiming to curb what it sees as Russia's and Belarus's "hybrid war" through illegal migration, Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk told the Financial Times on Dec. 29.

The initiative follows strained relations between Poland and Belarus, a close ally of Russia, after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Warsaw has accused Belarus of orchestrating migrant flows into Poland to pressure the EU over sanctions, a claim Minsk denies.

Additional reinforcements along the 400-kilometer (250 miles) eastern border include installing night vision cameras, thermal imagers, and a new patrol road, as well as strengthening the five-meter steel fence built in 2022.

Poland is investing over 2.5 billion zlotys ($611 million) in the project, with half the funding allocated by the current government under Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

"This artificially created migration route will be closed during next summer, I hope and believe it," Duszczyk said. He added that once complete, the border’s security would be "as close to 100% as possible."

Tensions escalated in May after a Polish border guard was critically injured by a migrant using a makeshift spear to breach the existing fence. In response, Tusk announced plans to create a 200-meter-wide buffer zone along the border with Belarus.

Despite the border fortification, Duszczyk warned of potential attempts by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to escalate tensions or sabotage Poland’s infrastructure.

Russia may escalate hybrid warfare near NATO borders, Yermak warns
“The appearance of North Korean troops dressed in Russian uniforms or Iranian proxies on the borders of NATO countries is quite realistic if Russia is not stopped now. The North Korean military is already fighting in Europe. Who could have thought of this before?” Andriy Yermak said.

News Feed

5:14 PM

Lithuanian FM on Europe's role in ending Russia's war.

The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell sat down with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys during his visit to Kyiv on April 1 to discuss the future of Europe during U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, whether European sanctions remain an effective instrument to stop Russia’s war against Ukraine, and Lithuania's contribution to the "coalition of the willing."
2:30 PM

Russian Railways hit by major cyberattack.

The state-owned Russian railway operator described the incident as a "massive DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack," saying that efforts to restore operations are underway.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.