MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. Poland's Defense Ministry plans to deploy missiles with a range of over 1,000 km along its eastern border in addition to the "East Shield" fortification system, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said.

"We will develop the "East Sword" for deterrence within the framework of the "East Shield" program because long-range precision strikes and strategic strike capabilities are crucial for the security of the Polish state," the Wirtualna Polska news portal quoted him as saying.

According to the defense minister, JASSM cruise missiles with a range of up to 370 km and JASSM-ER missiles with a range of up to 900 km could be used for this purpose. Kosiniak-Kamysz added that the defense ministry plans to acquire "weapons capable of hitting targets more than 1,000 km away."

At the same time, the minister said that Poland has already constructed 150 km of fortifications under the "East Shield" program and plans to add another 50 km by the end of this year. Among other things, the authorities will install 300,000 concrete anti-tank obstacles along the borders with Russia and Belarus by mid-October.

Polish authorities announced plans to build fortifications along the borders with Russia and Belarus in May 2024. The "East Shield" program is expected to cost 10 billion zlotys (about $2.5 billion), with work scheduled to be completed in 2028. The plans include digging trenches along Poland's eastern border, deploying minefields, installing anti-tank obstacles and establishing an active surveillance system. The first construction work began along the border with the Kaliningrad Region in early November 2024.