Poland has decided to start producing anti-personnel mines for the first time since the Cold War and plans to deploy them along its eastern border and could also export them to Ukraine, the deputy defense minister told Reuters.
Joining a broader regional shift in which almost all European countries bordering Russia, except Norway, have announced plans to abandon a global treaty banning such weapons, Poland wants to reinforce its borders with Belarus and Russia with anti-personnel mines, Reuters reports.
"We are interested in large quantities, and as soon as possible," said Deputy Defense Minister Pavel Zalevski.
The mines would be part of the "Eastern Shield", a defense program aimed at securing Poland's borders with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, Zalevski said.
Asked whether the production of mines could begin next year, after the process of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention is completed, Zalevski replied: "I would very much like that... We have such needs."
Poland began the process of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention in August and had previously said that it could start producing anti-personnel mines if necessary, but that a formal decision had not yet been made. Pawel Zalewski's statements are the first confirmation from Warsaw that this will be implemented.
According to the Mine and Cluster Munitions Monitoring Initiative, Poland notified the United Nations in 1995 that it had ceased production of anti-personnel mines, as well as the export of such weapons, in the mid-1980s.
Belma, a state-owned company that already supplies several other types of mines to the Polish military, announced that Poland will be equipped with millions of mines to secure its 800-kilometer-long eastern border as part of the Eastern Shield program.
“We are preparing for Polish demand... which could amount to five to six million mines of all types,” Belma CEO Jaroslav Zakrzewski told Reuters.
He added that although the Ministry of Defense has not yet ordered the mines, the company can produce up to 1,2 million mines of all types, including anti-personnel mines, as early as next year. Belma currently produces about 100.000 mines annually.
The minister said that the delivery of mines to Ukraine would depend on production capacities.
"Our starting point is our own needs. But for us, Ukraine is an absolute priority, because the line of European and Polish security is on the front line between Russia and Ukraine," Zalewski said.
Zakzewski from Belma said that exports to Ukraine are possible and that NATO countries bordering Russia, including the Baltic states, have already expressed interest in purchasing anti-personnel mines.
He stressed that Polish needs would take priority, but that any surplus production could be delivered to allies in the region.
Lithuania and Finland said earlier this year they expect to start producing anti-personnel mines next year, amid growing concerns about Russia since its all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Latvia and Estonia are also leaving the agreement, but have not yet announced production plans, although officials in Riga have indicated that, if necessary, production could be started quickly, while Estonia sees it as a future option.
The production of anti-personnel mines in Poland could begin after the six-month withdrawal period from the agreement expires, on February 20, 2026, the Polish Foreign Ministry announced.
Ukraine also announced it was withdrawing from the 1997 Ottawa Convention to better defend itself against Russia, which is not a signatory to the treaty. Both sides have accused each other of using anti-personnel mines during the war.
Among the major powers that have not signed the agreement are the United States and China.
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