A 130-mile long fence is being built on the border of Poland with Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad to prevent illegal crossings in what the country fears could become another migration crisis.
Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, 53, announced the decision on Wednesday amid concerns in Warsaw that Russia plans to orchestrate an influx of migrants in the NATO country.
This comes following a recent decision by Russia’s aviation authority to launch flights from the Middle East and North Africa to Kaliningrad.
It has led the governmental minister to take drastic measures that would strengthen Poland's security “by sealing this border”.
Blaszczak, who also serves as deputy prime minister, went on to tell a news conference in Warsaw that the border needs to be sealed in order for his country to feel secure.
He told reporters: "The airport in Kaliningrad is now accepting flights from the Middle East and North Africa. I decided to take action to enhance the security of the Polish border".
The 52-year-old minister added that he has already authorised the construction of a temporary barrier along the 130-mile border, saying: "Already today work will begin... on a temporary barrier along the 130-mile border."
The razor-wire fence will be 130-miles long, 2.5 metres high (8ft), and three metres deep (9ft).
It will also feature an electronic monitoring system and cameras.
Last year, Poland built a steel wall along its border with Russian ally Belarus after a migrant influx there. Despite this, Poland's border guard and NGOs on site continue to report dozens of attempted illegal crossings on a daily basis.
Tens of thousands of migrants and refugees, mostly from the Middle East, have crossed or attempted to cross into Poland from Belarus since 2021.
In the Polish village of Wisztyniec, soldiers have already began laying the razor wire, local Border Guard spokeswoman, Miroslawa Aleksandrowicz, told Polish state news agency PAP.
Aleksandrowicz said: “The barrier will be built is several places as the same time."
Wisztyniec is a village where the borders of Poland, Russia and Lithuania meet.
Blaszczak today added that construction of the barbed wire fence will be carried out quickly since army personnel have the experience of creating such barriers on the Polish-Belarusian border.
He said: “Polish soldiers have the appropriate experience: they protected the Polish-Belarusian border and I am convinced that they will also protect the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast."
To date, there has been no barrier along the border between Poland and Kaliningrad, but there have been frequent patrols by border guards.
Aleksandrowicz adding that there have been no detected attempts to cross into Poland illegally from Kaliningrad in October.
Meanwhile, the chief executive of the Khrabrovo airport in Kaliningrad, Alexander Korytnyi, told Russia’s Interfax news agency on October 3 that his airport would seek to “attract airlines from countries in the Persian Gulf and Asia”, including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Blaszczak had then described the airport’s plans as “disturbing”.
Poland has a 418km border with Belarus and a 210km overland border section with Russia.
