Poland plans to invest more than two billion euros in building advanced anti-drone fortifications along its eastern borders, with the entire system expected to be completed within 2 years.
This move comes in direct response to the massive incursion of Russian drones into Polish airspace earlier this year, which increased the country’s sense of insecurity.
A senior defense official has confirmed an ambitious timeline for the project, which will significantly strengthen the defense of Europe’s eastern flank, reports The Guardian.
Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk revealed details of the new defense system in an interview in Warsaw.
“We expect to have the first capabilities of the system in about six months, maybe even earlier. And the entire system will be completed in 24 months,” Tomczyk said.
He explained that the new systems will be integrated with an older defensive line built a decade ago and will include multiple layers of defense – from machine guns, cannons and missiles to a drone jamming system.
Tomczyk also highlighted the challenges of using such weapons in peacetime.
“Some of them are intended for use only in extreme conditions or war. For example, these multi-barreled machine guns are difficult to use in peacetime because anything that goes up has to come down,” he said.
The reason for the acceleration of the plans was an incident in September, when more than a dozen suspicious Russian drones entered Polish airspace.
This led to the closure of airports, the scramble of fighter jets, and, when the drones were shot down, buildings on the ground were also damaged.
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said at the time that the attacks, which involved drones without ammunition, were Russia’s attempt “to test without starting a war.”
The project will be financed mainly by European funds through the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defense loan program, with contributions from the Polish state budget.
During the nearly four-year full-scale war in Ukraine, Poland is increasingly preparing for potential conflict, faced with a rise in sabotage and arson attacks that Polish authorities have linked to Russian intelligence agencies.
The government plans to train hundreds of thousands of citizens in survival skills, while many of them are also undergoing voluntary military training.
In addition to the anti-drone wall, Poland is also strengthening its land borders with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, as part of the “Eastern Shield” project.
Tomczyk announced that special logistics centers with equipment to block the border, ready for use within a few hours, will be built in each border municipality.
“The truth is that as long as Ukraine defends itself and fights against Russia, Europe is not in danger of war in the conventional and narrow sense of the word. Instead, we will face provocations and sabotage,” Tomczyk said.
However, he warned that if the West allows Russia to win in Ukraine, the Kremlin could soon turn to Europe.
Poland has already increased its defense spending to 4.7% of GDP, one of the highest rates in the European Union. /Telegraph/