Poland and the Baltics want to cut off Russia with a “curtain” – Lidovky

Poland and the Baltic states are planning to build a network of fortifications “Eastern Shield” on the border with Russia and Belarus, the Lidovky newspaper reported.


The newspaper said the Eastern European countries want to protect themselves from Russia's alleged "expansive claims" and "hybrid threats".

“After 78 years (since the Fulton speech of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill – ed.), a new iron curtain <…> is being formed in Europe,” the paper said.

The project called “Eastern Shield” is aimed at protecting countries not only from direct, but also from hybrid threats, the publication says. It is planned to build bunkers, anti-tank barriers, install electronic defence equipment, and prepare minefields in case of an immediate threat, with the European Union being asked to pay for construction

According to the newspaper, the project has many gaps, in particular, the issue of protecting the part of the Estonian-Russian border that runs along Lake Peipsi.

Earlier, Polish National Defence Minister Vladyslav Kosyniak-Kamysh said that the Polish authorities did not intend to send their military to Ukraine even for the purpose of training AFU soldiers.