Steel Curtain: Polish Troops Build Fence On Russian Border
- By RFE/RL
Locals react to the sight of coils of razor wire being set up along a stretch of border between Poland and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad.
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Polish soldiers drive a fence post into the ground along the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region.
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Polish troops lift coils of razor wire into place along the border.
Work began on this barrier the day after a November 2 announcement by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak that a "more watertight" barrier was needed along the 210-kilometer boundary.
Work began on this barrier the day after a November 2 announcement by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak that a "more watertight" barrier was needed along the 210-kilometer boundary.
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Two people visit the point where the borders of of Poland, Lithuania, and Russia's Kaliningrad meet, in Zerdziny, Poland, in July.
Kaliningrad's border with Poland was one of the last stretches of land at the EU periphery that did not have a physical barrier.
Kaliningrad's border with Poland was one of the last stretches of land at the EU periphery that did not have a physical barrier.
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Polish and Russian border posts in Zerdziny, northeastern Poland
Warsaw claimed on November 2 that Russia’s Kaliningrad airport was being opened to flights from the Middle East and North Africa.
Warsaw claimed on November 2 that Russia’s Kaliningrad airport was being opened to flights from the Middle East and North Africa.
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A Polish soldier carries rounds of razor wire during the first phase of the fence construction.
There are fears Moscow could orchestrate an influx of illegal migrants into the EU, similar to what unfolded on the Belarusian border in 2021, when Minsk allegedly "funneled" thousands of migrants toward Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian territory.
There are fears Moscow could orchestrate an influx of illegal migrants into the EU, similar to what unfolded on the Belarusian border in 2021, when Minsk allegedly "funneled" thousands of migrants toward Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian territory.
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Polish troops lift coils of razor wire into place along the border.
The 2021 influx of migrants from Belarus into EU territory led to a humanitarian crisis in which 21 migrants died and several border guards were injured.
The 2021 influx of migrants from Belarus into EU territory led to a humanitarian crisis in which 21 migrants died and several border guards were injured.
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Signs in northeastern Poland mark restricted border territory alongside Russia's Kaliningrad region.
Amid near universal condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has remained a staunch ally of Moscow.
Amid near universal condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has remained a staunch ally of Moscow.
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The razor-wire fence seen in this photo is a temporary barrier along the Kaliningrad/Poland border, ahead of work beginning on an "electrified" fence that will be 2 1/2-meters high.
![Tadeusz Rydzewski pauses for a photograph near where the border barrier is being erected. The resident of Zytkiejmy, Poland, told AFP, "If Putin threatens us, then I think it's necessary to build [the fence]." Joanna Kozlowska, another local, disagreed, saying that with regular patrols of Polish border police the area has been "calm and quiet," adding, "I think it will stay like that." ](https://gdb.rferl.org/00020000-0aff-0242-01c5-08dac0abb3e9_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Tadeusz Rydzewski pauses for a photograph near where the border barrier is being erected. The resident of Zytkiejmy, Poland, told AFP, "If Putin threatens us, then I think it's necessary to build [the fence]." Joanna Kozlowska, another local, disagreed, saying that with regular patrols of Polish border police the area has been "calm and quiet," adding, "I think it will stay like that."
