Poland says it is under attack from its eastern neighbor and its razor wire fence reflects the EU's tough stance on illegal migration. The fence is five and a half meters high and is topped with razor wire in the form of concertina barriers. CCTV cameras mounted on the fence transmit information to a nearby headquarters, which operates around the clock.
The fence and concertina wire were not built to keep out an invading enemy army, but to keep out illegal migrants who want to get to Europe. Poland's border with Belarus, once a checkpoint for cars and trucks, is now a militarized zone, with a steel fence and razor wire showing the EU's increasingly hard line on undocumented people trying to cross into its territory illegally.
The 186km-long fence was built after Belarus' dictator Alexander Lukashenko began luring people from the Middle East and Africa into his country in 2021 and bussing them to the Polish border. Poland says it is under attack as it faces a hybrid war from its eastern neighbor, Lukashenko's response to EU sanctions imposed on Belarus for suppressing mass protests against his rule.
The site of the former crossing point is also home to anti-tank barriers as the government tests elements of the "Eastern Shield" - a system of fortifications, ditches and defenses being built to protect against Russian aggression. Poland's eastern border is patrolled by 6,000 soldiers, 2,200 border guards and police.