Speaking after a 21 July 2026 session of the Cabinet Committee for National Security, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that the government will fast-track procurement of counter-drone systems for the Straż Graniczna (Border Guard). The minister pointed to the growing use of commercial drones in hybrid operations on the Polish–Belarusian frontier, as well as intelligence warnings that Russia could repurpose captured Ukrainian drones for provocations along NATO’s eastern flank. Under the plan, the Ministry of Defence will co-fund mobile jamming and detection units that can be deployed at land crossings, rail terminals and airports. The first tranche—worth an estimated PLN 220 million (€48 million)—is to be delivered by a consortium led by domestic defence firm WB Electronics in cooperation with French radar specialist Thales. For multinational employers, the upgrade is more than a security headline. Better drone-defence coverage should reduce ad-hoc closures of border lanes caused by unidentified aerial objects—a phenomenon that saw three incidents and cumulative delays of 18 hours in June alone. Logistics managers shipping high-value electronics and pharmaceuticals through Koroszczyn and Świecko stand to benefit from more predictable transit times. The announcement also dovetails with the roll-out of the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). Because EES kiosks rely on uninterrupted digital connectivity, jamming-proof zones around pedestrian crossings are being defined to ensure that counter-UAS activity does not disrupt biometric enrolment. The Interior Ministry said guidelines would be published in August and that carriers will receive an API feed of any drone-related traffic restrictions with at least one hour’s notice. Law firms specialising in business immigration note that the investment signals a broader policy shift: Poland increasingly frames border management as part of national defence, meaning that procedural changes—such as mandatory pre-enrolment of truck drivers in the EES—could be introduced with limited consultation. Mobility teams should therefore monitor defence as well as immigration channels for regulatory updates.
Source: Polish Press Agency (PAP)
