Poland to Produce Up to a Million Mines After Withdrawing from Ottawa Treaty

Poland has announced plans to significantly ramp up domestic production of anti-personnel mines as part of efforts to reinforce its eastern borders. Deputy Defense Minister Paweł Bejda revealed in an interview with Polish Radio RMF 24 that the government aims to manufacture hundreds of thousands, potentially up to a million, of these mines. He emphasized that both private and state-owned defense industries would be involved, highlighting Poland’s capacity to scale up production.

The move comes amid the recent decision by five countries—Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland—to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty, the international convention banning anti-personnel mines. The withdrawal would allow these nations to legally produce, deploy, and use such mines as part of their defense strategies. The five countries share borders with Russia and Belarus, with Finland and Estonia bordering Russia, Poland and Lithuania sharing a border with Belarus, and Latvia bordering both.

Polish Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz outlined the formal withdrawal process, which requires approval from the cabinet, parliament, and the president before a notification is sent to the United Nations. Once submitted, the withdrawal procedure is expected to take approximately six months.

While the Polish government has not disclosed specific details about which companies will be responsible for the mine production, Bejda confirmed that the state-owned Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) would play a role. The decision underscores Poland’s growing emphasis on military self-sufficiency and border security.

Meanwhile, Latvia is also evaluating its defense strategy in light of regional security concerns. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Sprūds stated that the country is considering all possible measures to strengthen its deterrence and defensive capabilities, signaling a broader shift among NATO’s eastern flank countries toward heightened military preparedness.