Presidential spokesman describes fortifications on eastern border as 'full of holes’

MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Poland’s East Shield fortifications, which are under construction since 2024 at the initiative of Prime Minister Donald Tusk along the borders with Russia and Belarus, are full of holes, presidential spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz stated.

"The East Shield is full of holes. First and foremost, it is a PR stunt that government officials demonstrate to us daily when they talk about guarantees for the security of Polish airspace and NATO’s eastern flank," Leskiewicz told reporters. "The East Shield doesn’t work. The solutions proposed by, among others, Deputy Prime Minister [and Defense Minister Wladyslaw] Kosiniak-Kamysz are ineffective," the spokesman added. He also pointed to statements by Polish politicians about just how narrow and small a section of the sky along Poland’s eastern border is protected by air defense systems.

In May 2024, the Polish authorities announced the construction of fortifications along the borders with Russia and Belarus. The East Shield program is estimated to cost 10 billion zlotys (about $2.5 billion), with completion scheduled for 2028. Along the eastern border, the plans include digging trenches, laying minefields, installing anti-tank spikes, and setting up an active surveillance system. Work began on the border with the Kaliningrad Region in early November 2024. By the end of the month, the Polish government had completed work on the first section, installing 3,500 concrete spikes.

In addition, Poland announced the creation of its own "drone wall" along the eastern border as part of the SAN program. The program calls for establishing comprehensive protection against drones along the borders with Belarus and Russia. The project is estimated to cost 15 billion zlotys (about $4.2 billion). The system is expected to be operational by the end of 2027.