Poland's decision after withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention. What weapons does he want to place on the borders with Russia and Belarus: “We are interested in large quantities”

Poland has decided to start production of anti-personnel mines for the first time since the end of the Cold War and plans to place them along its eastern border and export them to Ukraine, Poland's deputy defense minister told Reuters news agency on Wednesday.

Joining a wider regional turn in which almost all European countries bordering Russia, except Norway, have announced plans to withdraw from the global treaty (Ottawa Convention) banning such weapons, Poland wants to use anti-personnel mines to strengthen its borders with Belarus and Russia.

“We are interested in large quantities as soon as possible,” Deputy Defense Minister Pawel Zalewski said.

“Eastern Shield”

The mines will be part of the “East Shield”, a defensive program aimed at fortifying Poland's borders with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, the deputy minister added.

Asked if mine production could begin next year, once the process of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention is completed, Zalewski said: “I would very much like to … We have such needs.”

Poland began the process of withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention in August and previously announced that it could begin production of anti-personnel mines if necessary, but no official decision has been made. Zalewski's statements are the first confirmation from Warsaw that it will continue with the measure.

According to the Landmine and Cluster Munitions Monitor, Poland informed the UN in 1995 that it had ceased production of antipersonnel mines in the mid-1980s and that the export of these weapons had ceased.

Belma, the state-owned company that already supplies the Polish military with several other types of mines, said Poland would be equipped with millions of mines under the “East Shield” program to secure its 800-kilometer (500-mile) eastern border.

“We are preparing for Poland's demand (…) which amounts to 5-6 million mines of all types,” Belma CEO Jaroslaw Zakrzewski told Reuters.

He added that although the Ministry of Defense has not yet placed an order, the company could produce up to 1.2 million mines of all types, including anti-personnel mines, next year. Belma currently produces about 100,000 mines a year.

Surplus production, supplied to the Allies

Deputy Minister Zalewski also stated that the supply of mines to Ukraine will depend on production capacity.

“Our starting point is our own needs. But for us, Ukraine is absolutely a priority, because the European and Polish security line is on the Russia-Ukraine front,” Zalewski said.

Belma CEO Jaroslaw Zakrzewski said exports to Ukraine are possible and that NATO countries bordering Russia, including the Baltic states, have already expressed interest in buying anti-personnel mines.

He said Poland's needs would take priority, but any surplus production could be supplied to allies in the region.

Earlier in 2025, Lithuania and Finland announced they expected to start production of anti-personnel mines next year, amid growing concerns about Russia following its large-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Latvia and Estonia are also leaving the Ottawa treaty but have not announced production plans, although officials in Riga have said they could quickly launch production if necessary, and Estonia considers that a future option.

Polish production of anti-personnel mines could begin once the six-month withdrawal period stipulated in the treaty ends on February 20, 2026, according to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ukraine has also announced that it is withdrawing from the 1997 Ottawa Convention in order to better defend itself against Russia, which is not a signatory to the treaty. Each side accused the other of using anti-personnel mines during the war.

Other major powers that have not signed the treaty are the United States and China.