**Poland to Fortify Border with Belarus by Mid-2025**
Poland plans to complete its fortified border wall and close the border with Belarus by next summer. The initiative is aimed at curbing what Poland sees as Russia’s and Belarus’s “hybrid war” through illegal migration.
The Polish government has invested over 2.5 billion zlotys ($611 million) in the project, which includes installing night vision cameras, thermal imagers, and a new patrol road. The existing five-meter steel fence built in 2022 will also be strengthened.
Polish Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Duszczyk said that once complete, the border’s security would be “as close to 100% as possible.” However, he warned of potential attempts by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko to escalate tensions or sabotage Poland’s infrastructure.
The move comes after strained relations between Poland and Belarus, a close ally of Russia, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Warsaw has accused Belarus of orchestrating migrant flows into Poland to pressure the EU over sanctions, which Minsk denies.
**Azerbaijan Plane Crash**
An Azerbaijan Airlines plane was rendered “uncontrollable” by electronic warfare, and its tail section was damaged by fire from the ground while flying over Russia before crashing, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told the media.
Russia has denied responsibility for the crash, but U.S. President Joe Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s apology appears to acknowledge Moscow‘s involvement in the disaster.
**Ukraine Updates**
Ukraine’s Air Force on Dec. 29 denied claims spread by Russian media about a Ukrainian pilot surrendering to Russian forces in Kursk Oblast.
Russia has escalated its aerial assault on Ukraine, launching more than 280 KAB guided bombs, nearly 370 attack drones, and over 80 missiles in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 29.
The U.S. government has officially classified Marc Fogel, an American schoolteacher jailed in Russia on drug charges, as wrongfully detained, the State Department announced on Dec. 27.
**Other News**
A Georgian anti-Western politician was inaugurated as the country’s sixth president on Dec. 29 in a move seen as illegitimate by the opposition.
Italy’s cybersecurity agency said that pro-Russian hacker groups claimed responsibility for attacks on major Russian news outlets’ Telegram channels across several European Union countries.
The domestic drone industry “reached unprecedented production volumes” in 2024, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Dec. 28.
Read More @ kyivindependent.com