Poland Fortifies Border with Ukraine After Russian Strikes on Checkpoints

Polish military engineers are building fortified posts near border crossings on the border with Ukraine following Russian strikes on border infrastructure.

Polish Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the reinforcement of security at the checkpoints.

The Polish Armed Forces General Command noted that the work is being performed by military engineers from the 4th and 18th regiments. Observation and security posts are being built near Dorohusk, Medyka, and Korczowa.

The construction uses HESCO bastions — collapsible wire mesh containers filled with sand or soil. A photo released by Marcin Kierwiński, Minister of the Interior and Administration, on September 16 shows one of these posts near Dorohusk.

The work started following a Russian attack on border infrastructure. On September 13, strike drones attacked the Yahodyn international border crossing in Ukraine’s Volyn region, the largest checkpoint on the border with Poland in terms of throughput. A passenger train traveling from Kyiv to Warsaw was also hit nearby.

Several days earlier, on the night of September 9, Russian drones struck the Starokozache checkpoint on the border with Moldova. They hit the crossing’s infrastructure and the surrounding area. Civilians were killed and injured in the attack.

The structures built by the Polish military are intended for observation and use by border guards. They are not shelters for everyone present at the checkpoints during an air raid alert.