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The construction of an electronic fence along Poland’s border with Belarus has been successfully concluded and is now fully operational, covering a distance of 206 kilometers, according to a spokesperson for the Polish Border Guard.
Anna Michalska, speaking to the Polish Press Agency (PAP) on Thursday, stated that the Border Guard has taken over the final segment of the barrier, which faced a delay due to flooding. She explained that the completion of the last 25-kilometer stretch was hindered by a flood, but the issue has now been resolved.
Poland faced a significant influx of migrants attempting to enter the country through its border with Belarus in 2021. The crisis prompted the Polish government to attribute responsibility to the Belarusian authorities, accusing them of facilitating the transport of Middle Eastern and African migrants with false promises of easy access to the European Union.
In response to the crisis, Poland initially erected a physical fence along its border with Belarus. Subsequently, the decision was made to enhance the barrier with electronic surveillance equipment, including night vision devices and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
Michalska disclosed that the electronic border barrier, encompassing a total of 11 sections, was equipped with advanced surveillance and detection tools. This includes a staggering 3,000 CCTV cameras and cutting-edge night-vision technology. The overall cost of the project was estimated to be PLN 343 million (EUR 71.8 million).
In addition to the completion of the electronic border barrier on the Polish-Belarusian border, Poland has also embarked on erecting a similar fence along its border with Russia. This new barrier, projected to be finished in the autumn, is seen as necessary by the interior minister for monitoring activities occurring along Poland’s frontier with Russia’s Kaliningrad Region.