Poland installs fence on Russian border to deter migrants

Poland starts the construction of a temporary fence along its 210-kilometre long land border with the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak announced the decision amid concerns in Warsaw that Russia plans to orchestrate an influx of migrants. "The airport in Kaliningrad is now accepting flights from the Middle East and North Africa. I decided to take action to enhance the security of the Polish border," Blaszczak told reporters. IMAGES

The razor-wire fence will be 2.5 metres (over eight feet) high, three metres deep and will also feature electronic equipment.

On the count of three, Polish soldiers use long spears to lift razor wire and attach it to posts at the Russian border, in a bid to prevent illegal crossings.

Poland is fencing itself off from Russia's exclave of Kaliningrad out of concern that plans are afoot for another orchestrated influx of migrants into the European Union.

He said the razor-wire fence will be 2.5 metres (over eight feet) high, three metres deep and will also feature electronic equipment.

The thump of a hammer rings out as one soldier drives metal posts into the ground still wet from passing showers, while over on the Russian side, a thick forest of birch trees blocks the view.

The 186-kilometre barrier came in response to tens of thousands of migrants and refugees, mostly from the Middle East, trying to enter from Belarus since last year.  

The West believes the influx was orchestrated by Minsk with support from the Kremlin to destabilise the region and the EU as a whole, a charge denied by the Belarusian regime. 

"Starting next year, the barrier is due to be equipped with cameras and motion detection systems," she told AFP.

But Poland wants to play it safe. Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said there was "worrying" news of flights connecting the Middle East and North Africa with Kaliningrad -- a claim AFP was unable to confirm. 

Blaszczak hit back at his critics, charging them of taking a "pro-Russian stance".

A few kilometres from Zerdziny, in the northern border village of Lenkupie, local resident Marzena Raczewicz said it would not hurt to have the fence.

"We live here in peace. They want to scare us but I think it's all an exaggeration," she said from her kitchen, located 500 metres from the border. 

"Everything's been quiet and calm here and I think it will stay that way," she said, noting that border guards have been patrolling the area several times a day. 

Migrants or no migrants, some locals believe the fence is a must in the face of President Vladimir Putin's Russia.

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