Poland to Deploy Anti-Personnel Mines Along its Border with Russia and Belarus

What Happened?

Poland’s Minister of Defense Pawel Bejda said Poland intends to deploy anti-personnel land mines along its borders with Russia and Belarus in the near future. 

The move is to be part of Poland’s “Eastern Shield” program which began in 2024 to fortify the border Poland shares with Russia. The number of mines to ultimately be put in place is projected to range from several hundred thousand to one million. 

Following Poland’s announcement, Lithuania’s Minister of Defense confirmed similar plans will be completed on the Lithuanian border with Russia. 

Why it Matters

Poland’s plans to add land mines to its border with Russia is part of two related initiatives, Poland’s own Eastern Shield and the Baltic Defense Line. The latter is a joint defense initiative by Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia which was formally signed in 2024. 

On March 18, 2025, Poland and the Baltic States withdrew from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use or stockpiling of land mines.

The purpose of Eastern Shield and the Baltic Defense Line is to fortify the eastern borders of Poland and the Baltics. This is to counter a potential Russian invasion like the one that took place in Ukraine in 2022. 

In addition to mines, the plans call for the construction of several defensive fortifications, anti-tank barriers, reinforced barriers, as well as the deployment of surveillance and reconnaissance systems. All these components are being merged into a continuous, multi-layered defensive system covering the entire eastern border with Russia.

Poland is also undertaking a significant expansion of its armed forces with the goal of creating the largest and most powerful military in Europe. The military expansion along with the defensive actions on the Russian border indicate the seriousness with which eastern Europe takes the threat of a potential Russian invasion. 

With the outcome of the war in Ukraine uncertain, Poland and the Baltic States are nevertheless preparing for a future conflict with Russia. If Russia ends up with permanent control of a significant portion of Ukrainian territory, it’s unclear what the future of Ukraine might be. 

Leaders in Poland and the Baltics believe Russia will not stop with Ukraine, and that they will likely be the next targets. 

Russia has condemned the placement of U.S. missile systems in Poland and threatened to attack them in the future. Thus far Russian strikes on western Ukraine have come close to Poland’s border, and Russia does possess the capability to reach targets on Polish soil

How it Affects You

Poland and the Baltic States clearly view Russia as a major threat to their security.

They are undertaking a coordinated and systematic effort to establish defensive capabilities to allow them to blunt any future Russian invasion.

Overall, the tensions between Poland and Russia have risen to their highest levels since the end of the Cold War.