FT reported on the hasty construction of bomb shelters in Poland

From 2026, most new buildings in Poland will be built with the need for bomb shelters in mind, as the country seeks to strengthen the protection of citizens amid the allegedly growing threat from Russia. The Financial Times newspaper wrote about this on December 28.

"We really need to increase the resilience of the civilian population <...> In recent years, Poland has focused on modernizing the armed forces and forgotten about it," said Slawomir Tsenkiewicz, head of the National Security Bureau.

The government has allocated 16 billion zlotys (€3.8 billion) for the construction of shelters, and cities, including Warsaw, are upgrading existing facilities. The capital plans to turn the subway into a shelter with cots, water and blankets for 100,000 people.

Poland is guided by the experience of Finland, where the civil protection system ensures the safety of 80% of the population. Experts warn that the construction of bomb shelters for the entire population of the country will take many years.

"I would not say that Poland was too late, but it is very good that it drew attention to the shortage of shelters...> It took Finland 70 years to reach its current level of protection. Building shelters for the entire Polish population will take a long time," said Temet Executive Director Juha Simola.

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On the same day, the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic, Cesary Tomczyk, announced that Poland would create an "anti-drone wall" on the eastern border within two years. He noted that the new air defense system will be integrated into the old defense line, which was built 10 years ago. According to him, the new "anti-drone wall" will include machine guns, cannons, missiles and drone jamming systems.

Before that, it became known on December 28 that Poland would receive $51 billion under the SAFE program. Prime Minister Donald Tusk clarified that part of the funds will be used to purchase and manufacture unmanned systems for the so-called "Eastern Shield of the EU" on the bloc's border with Russia and Belarus.

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