Work under the East Shield has started. Tusk: first works on the border with Russia

Shield East is a program prepared by the Ministry of National Defense and the General Staff of the Polish Army, which assumes the construction of various types of fortifications, terrain obstacles and military infrastructure on the borders of Poland with Russia and Belarus – a total distance of approximately 800 kilometers.

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The project was presented in May this year; the government has repeatedly announced that the first works will start this year. In mid-October, the first tests of the Shield elements took place at the training ground in Orzysz (Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship). The Prime Minister announced the beginning of work on Thursday evening in a post on X. “The construction of the Eastern Shield has started! The first works on the border with Russia,” he wrote. He attached a photo of construction machines at work to the entry.

A resolution on the establishment of the “National Deterrence and Defense Program – Shield East”, for the implementation of which PLN 10 billion was allocated in 2024-2028, Council of Ministers adopted on June 10 at an away meeting in Białystok. According to a statement from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, “the government intends to create a comprehensive defense infrastructure on NATO's eastern flank to counteract threats from Belarus and Russia.”

The East Shield program includes, among others: construction of fortifications and natural terrain obstacles in key border areas. There are also plans to build appropriate reconnaissance and threat detection systems, forward bases, logistic nodes, warehouses and the deployment of anti-drone systems.

The goal is, on the one hand, to make it as easy as possible for the Polish Army to defend the border, and on the other – to make it as difficult as possible for a potential aggressor to intrude into the country.

Construction of fortifications on a section of approximately 800 km along the eastern and northern border of Poland – it will cover key voivodeships, i.e. Pomeranian Voivodeship, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Lublin Voivodeship, Podlaskie Voivodeship and Podkarpackie Voivodeship.