As Poland exits land mines convention, Tusk says country will soon be able to mine eastern border скачать в хорошем качестве

As Poland exits land mines convention, Tusk says country will soon be able to mine eastern border

(20 Feb 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Zielonka, Poland - 19 February 2026 1. Various of Bluszcz (English: Ivy), an unmanned vehicle that lays mines in operation 2. SOUNDBITE (Polish) Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of Poland: "Poland is currently exiting the Ottawa Convention. Today, you saw a brief presentation of the capabilities of the "Bluszcz" system. We are in the process of finalizing this mine project within the East Shield, which is crucial to our security, our territory, and our border. This also includes the capability we will soon achieve – the ability to mine the Polish border in the event of a threat within 48 hours. I don't need to tell you what a technological leap this represents, but above all, what a leap it represents into a secure future." ASSOCIATED PRESS Dabrowka, Poland - 30 November 2024 3. Anti-tank barriers, sign (English): "Military area, keep out, no entry" 4. Various of military vehicles and anti-tank barriers STORYLINE: These Polish-manufactured unmanned vehicles, known as Bluszcz, are used to lay anti-tank mines. Poland on Friday officially exited an international convention banning the use of land mines, meaning it could potentially deploy the explosive weapon to defend its eastern borders from Russian threats. Speaking on Thursday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that Poland would "soon" have the ability to mine its eastern borders within 48 hours in case of a threat. Poland borders Ukraine and Belarus in its east and fears it might be a next target for Russia if Moscow decides to attack a NATO territory. "I don't have to explain how big of a jump this is when it comes to technology and a safe future," Tusk said, after attending a demonstration of the unmanned vehicles, produced by Polish company Belma S.A. and a military research institute. Last year, Warsaw joined Finland, the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and Ukraine to announce plans to leave the Ottawa Convention banning the use of land mines. All countries bordering Russia, they argued they need land mines to protect themselves against Russia, which never signed the international treaty. Land mines are placed on the ground or under the surface and get detonated when a person or a vehicle crosses over them. Anti-personnel mines are known for having caused large-scale suffering among civilians in Cambodia, Angola and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Other types include anti-tank mines, which require a bigger weight to trigger them. Only anti-personnel mines are covered by the Ottawa Convention, which was signed in 1997 with the purpose of reducing civilian suffering. Nearly three dozen countries have never acceded to the convention, including some key current and past producers and users of land mines such as the United States, China, India, Pakistan, South Korea and Russia. Poland ratified the Ottawa Convention in 2012 and completed the destruction of its domestic anti-personnel mine stockpile in 2016. But its political leaders have been speaking about resuming domestic production as soon as the country is formally out of the Ottawa treaty. Officials have said that strips of land mines might be included between other defensive physical elements making up the so-called Eastern Shield, a system of enhanced fortifications Poland has been building on its borders with Belarus and Russia since 2024. AP Video by Rafal Niedzielski =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...