How Poland’s Baltic naval build-up aims to counter Russia and reshape security in the region
Financial Times says Poland is launching a major naval overhaul since the Cold War, building frigates and buying submarines to bolster Baltic security.
According to Financial Times, Poland is carrying out its largest overhaul of the navy since the Cold War in order to be ready to confront Russia in a potential conflict.
The paper reports that three new frigates are being built simultaneously at the shipyard in Gdynia. In parallel, Warsaw has signed an agreement to purchase three additional Swedish submarines. Poland is also constructing a rescue vessel, and new minesweepers have already been launched.
Deputy Defence Minister Pavel Beida was quoted as saying that, in Warsaw’s view, the «Russian threat» is expanding and that Poland cannot ignore what he described as Russia’s hybrid warfare.
The Polish Defence Ministry has stated that Warsaw must play an active role in ensuring security in the Baltic Sea. According to Financial Times, the current programmes are designed to make up for decades of underfunding of the navy, which still relies on a very limited and outdated core: a single Soviet-built submarine from 1986 and two frigates dating back to the 1970s.
Earlier, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said in his New Year address that by 2026 the country intends to «conquer the Baltic Sea». He also stressed that the authorities plan to accelerate the creation of what he called «the strongest army in Europe».