Poland intends to expand the production of anti-personnel mines, which will later be installed on the border with russia and Belarus as part of the Eastern Shield program.
This was stated by Deputy Minister of Defense of Poland Paweł Bejda on the air of the Polish radio station RMF FM.
He was asked why Poland, together with the Baltic countries, announced its intention to denounce the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, production and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines.
"We have no way out. The situation on the border is serious. I'm talking about the Polish-Belarusian and Polish-russian borders <...> We have fears bordering on certainty that Belarus is following russia's lead. Whatever putin (russian dictator vladimir putin - ed.) says, Lukashenko (self-proclaimed Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko - ed.) will agree to," Bejda said.
He recalled that russia used the territory of Belarus to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Bejda, Poland currently has no anti-personnel mines, but the country has the capabilities to start their production.
"I don't want to go into details. We are talking about an order of several hundred thousand, we can talk about a million units," Bejda added.
The installation of anti-personnel mines on the border with russia and Belarus will be implemented within the framework of the Eastern Shield program, which involves the creation of fortifications along the border with the above-mentioned countries.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on March 18, the defense ministers of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia announced that their countries intend to denounce the Ottawa Convention. It prohibits the use, production, and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines.
Recall that in December 2024, Poland announced plans to build a direct road to the Kaliningrad Oblast of the russian federation. It will allow for faster transfer of troops if necessary.
We also wrote that in Poland, high school students will be taught how to shoot with firearms, as well as provide medical care.
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