Poland Plans to Deploy Anti-Personnel Mines on Borders with Belarus, Russia

Poland is planning to deploy anti-personnel mines along its defensive "Eastern Shield" installations on the borders with Belarus and Russia, according to Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Bejda.

Speaking to RMF FM radio on Tuesday, Bejda stated that Poland requires approximately one million anti-personnel mines and intends to manufacture them domestically.

The move follows a joint declaration made on March 18 by the defense ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, recommending that their governments withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, which bans the use of anti-personnel mines.

The ministers cited deteriorating regional security as justification for their proposal.

The Ottawa Treaty, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel mines, came into force in 1999 and has been signed by 164 countries.