WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish foot soldiers began laying barbed ropes along Poland’s border with Russia’s enclave of Kaliningrad Wednesday after the government ordered the construction of a barrier to save what it fears is another migrant crisis.
Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said a recent resolution through the Russian aviation authority to release flights from the Middle East and North Africa to Kaliningrad had prompted him to take the plunge, which he said would improve Poland’s security.
Blaszczak said the barrier along the 210-kilometer (130-mile) border would consist of 3 rows of barbed cord eight feet (2. 5 meters) at the top and 3 meters (10 feet) wide and with a formula of electronic surveillance and cameras. On the Polish side, a fence will keep the animals away from the barbed cord.
The general director of Kaliningrad’s Khrabrovo Airport, Alexander Korytnyi, told Russia’s Interfax news firm on Oct. 3 that his airport would seek to “attract airlines from the Persian Gulf and Asian countries,” the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Blaszczak the airport plans “disturbing”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday declined to comment on the border fence, describing it as “a Polish affair. “
Soldiers began placing barbed ropes in the Polish village of Wisztyniec, local border guard spokeswoman Miroslawa Aleksandrowicz told Poland’s PAP news agency.
Wisztyniec is a village where the borders of Poland, Russia and Lithuania meet. Lithuania, like Poland, is a member of NATO and the European Union.
“The barrier will be built at several posts at the same time,” Aleksandrowicz said.
No attempt to illegally enter Poland from Kaliningrad was detected in October, Aleksandrowicz said.
To date, there have been no barriers along the border, but only common patrols through border guards, border guard spokesman Konrad Szwed said.
The enclave of Kaliningrad, with a population of about 1 million, is the northern component of what was once the German territory of East Prussia and became part of the Soviet Union after World War II.
It is home to the Baltic Fleet of the Russian Navy and also a commercial center. The dunes and resorts, what remains of the ancient Prussian architecture in the city of Kaliningrad and the museums of the sea and amber are among the tourist attractions.
Polish and other EU leaders have accused the Belarusian government, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, of orchestrating migration to create chaos and division within the 27-nation bloc.
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