Overview
- Construction is actively under way in northeast Poland with Polish troops and about 40 German Bundeswehr engineers working on anti‑tank ditches and rows of concrete 'Panzerigel'.
- Poland aims to secure roughly 250 kilometres of its border by the end of 2026 and plans construction to continue through 2028 as part of a long‑term modernisation drive.
- After leaving the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention in February 2026, Warsaw says it will retain the ability to lay mines along the Kaliningrad border within 48 hours if needed.
- The EU is providing funding through its SAFE instrument and the project is being framed as a wider NATO deterrent tied to regional planning with Baltic and Nordic partners.
- Restricted media access and time‑limited foreign troop deployments accompany the works, raising legal, humanitarian and diplomatic questions about mine use and the long‑term militarisation of the frontier.