Poland to Spend an Additional €350 Million on Strengthening Border with Belarus
The Polish government plans to allocate an additional 1.5 billion zlotys (approximately 350 million euros) for the modernization of barriers on the border with Belarus. Deputy Minister of Defence of Poland Cezary Tomczyk announced this, according to the Baltic News Network.
"In particular, the entire length of the existing barrier, which was constructed several months ago, will be reinforced. The Silesian Technological Institute and our engineers are working on strengthening the entire barrier. They guarantee that the barrier will be impassable," noted the Polish official.
Cezary Tomczyk justified the need for strengthening the border with Belarus by stating that migrants, with the assistance of Belarusian special services, are currently able to breach the border. Poland, however, acts in accordance with Polish and international law.
"This barrier must be effective, and that's what the Polish state is doing today, allocating significant resources to it. The modernization of the barrier itself likely costs around 1.5 billion zlotys, and that's how much we need to allocate to ensure that it works effectively," emphasized Cezary Tomczyk.
It is worth noting that the latest major incident involving attempts by migrants to cross from Belarus into Poland occurred on April 10. Over 220 illegal migrants attempted to breach the Polish border but were stopped by Polish border guards together with the military.
In January 2022, Poland began constructing barriers on its border with Belarus, announcing the construction of a 187-kilometer-long wall to control migrant flows. The project was completed in October of the previous year. The wall stands at a height of 5.5 meters and is made up of steel panels measuring 4.5 meters in height with barbed wire on top.
On May 1, 2024, the Polish Border Guard announced the completion of the installation of an electric barrier along the 206-kilometer-long border with Belarus.
Earlier, The Gaze reported that Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko described a high risk of military incidents on the border with Ukraine and suggested a possible "nuclear apocalypse" if Russia were to use nuclear weapons in response to a nuclear threat from the West. He made these statements in an interview with Russian propaganda media.