The modern Poland–Russia border is a nearly straight-line division between the
Republic of Poland and the
Russian Federation
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast () is the westernmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russian Federation. It is a Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea within the Baltic region of Prussia (region), Prussia, surrounded by Pola ...
, a region not connected to the Russian mainland. It is long. The current location and length of the border was decided in the
aftermath of World War II
The aftermath of World War II saw the rise of two global superpowers, the United States (U.S.) and the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). The aftermath of World War II was also defined by the rising threat of nuclear warfare, the creation and implementati ...
. In 2004, it
became part of the boundary of the European Union and the
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional organization, regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an ar ...
.
History
The history of the border between Poland and Russia can be traced to the early history of both nations, with one of the earliest notable incidents being the Polish king
Boleslaw I's intervention in the Kievan succession crisis, 1018. Following the formation of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, also referred to as Poland–Lithuania or the First Polish Republic (), was a federation, federative real union between the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland, Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania ...
, Poland's eastern border, most of it with the
Tsardom of Muscovy (later, the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...
), stretched from the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
in the north to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
in the south.
During the period of the
partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland were three partition (politics), partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place between 1772 and 1795, toward the end of the 18th century. They ended the existence of the state, resulting in the eli ...
, which shifted the Russian borders some west,
several small Polish statelets such as the
Duchy of Warsaw
The Duchy of Warsaw (; ; ), also known as the Grand Duchy of Warsaw and Napoleonic Poland, was a First French Empire, French client state established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars. It initially comprised the ethnical ...
and the
Congress Kingdom
Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...
shared a border with the Russian Empire. Following
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, the new
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
shared a border with the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
(USSR), shaped during the
Polish-Soviet War, and confirmed at the
Treaty of Riga at the line
Dzisna-
Dokshytsy
Dokshytsy (; ; ; ) is a town in Vitebsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Dokshytsy District. It is located approximately southwest of Vitebsk and one kilometer from the source of the Berezina, Berezina River. Its popula ...
-
Słucz-
Korets-
Ostroh-
Zbrucz. That border was long.
[ tp://mapy.ziomal.org/mapy/mapy_inne/atlasy/1928_Romer%20-%20Atlas%20Polski%20wspolczesnej,/02.Okladka_przod_b.jpg ''Polska w cyfrach'' n: tp://mapy.ziomal.org/mapy/mapy_inne/atlasy/1928_Romer%20-%20Atlas%20Polski%20wspolczesnej,/ E. Romer ''Atlas Polski wspolczesnej'', 1928/ref> Following ]World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the new border (see territorial changes of Poland immediately after World War II) was drawn between the People's Republic of Poland
The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...
and the USSR.[ Initially, the towns of Gierdawy and Iławka passed under Polish control with Polish administration already arranged, however, the area was eventually annexed by the Soviet Union and included within the Kaliningrad Oblast by December 1945. The new Polish-Soviet border was long at first and, after a minor modification in the 1951 Polish–Soviet territorial exchange, reduced to .]
Modern border
The modern border between Poland and Russia is regulated by a number of legal documents, many of them dating to the times of the People's Republic of Poland
The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...
and the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, including the Border Agreement between Poland and the USSR of 16 August 1945.[Janusz Szymańskii. Chapter ''Relacje traktatowe z Rosją po przystąpieniu Polski do UE''. In ''PRZYJAZNA GRANICA NIEZBĘDNYM ELEMENTEM WZMACNIANIA STOSUNKÓW SPOŁECZEŃSTW POLSKI I ROSJI'', Wydział Prawa Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku, 2011. Accessed on 11 September 2012]
The newly defined Soviet-Polish border included system of various engineered protection facilities up to a few kilometres wide such as ploughed strips of earth and no-man zone.
While the actual border line remained unchanged following the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, fall of the Soviet Union, the breakdown of the Soviet Union into a number of post-Soviet states
The post-Soviet states, also referred to as the former Soviet Union or the former Soviet republics, are the independent sovereign states that emerged/re-emerged from the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Prior to their independence, they ...
transformed the Poland-Soviet Union border into a Poland-Russia, Poland–Lithuania, Poland-Belarus and Poland-Ukraine border. The Poland–Russia borders were confirmed in a Polish-Russian treaty of 1992 (ratified in 1993).[
The Poland–Russia border is 232 km long between Poland and ]Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast () is the westernmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russian Federation. It is a Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea within the Baltic region of Prussia (region), Prussia, surrounded by Pola ...
of Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, which is an exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
, unconnected to the rest of Russia due to the Lithuania–Russia border.[ For most of this length, the Polish side is in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship; the extreme east is in the ]Podlaskie Voivodeship
Podlaskie Voivodeship ( ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship in northeastern Poland. The name of the voivodeship refers to the historical region of Podlachia (in Polish, ''Podlasie''), and significant part of its territory corresponds to th ...
, and the westernmost segment (on the Vistula Spit) in the Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship ( ; ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk.
The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk Voivo ...
.[''Mały Rocznik Statystyczny Polski 2012'', Główny Urząd Statystyczny, 2012. Accessed on 11 September 2012]
/ref> 210 km of the border is land and 22 km is sea.[
The World War II ended in May 1945. The forming of the border began with huge restrictions on movement of civilians. The Economy of the Soviet Union, economic model typical of the USSR, reinforced by the dominant military role of the ]Kaliningrad Oblast
Kaliningrad Oblast () is the westernmost federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of the Russian Federation. It is a Enclave and exclave, semi-exclave on the Baltic Sea within the Baltic region of Prussia (region), Prussia, surrounded by Pola ...
, meant that it did not establish closer cooperation with the neighboring Polish areas (Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents
Olsz ...
, Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
and Białystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the List of cities and towns in Poland, tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area.
Biał ...
Voivodeships), and generally for a decade it played no role in the Polish-Soviet trade
Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market.
Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...
, economic and cultural contacts. East Prussia was divided by a kind of internal iron curtain. The lack of cooperation between both entities made it difficult to even deal with such basic matters as regulating the functioning of watercourses that crossed the border, for example the Łyna River Łyna may refer to:
* Łyna River (Russian: Лава ''Lava'', German: ''Alle''), a river in Poland and Russia
* Łyna, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (German: ''Lahne''), a village in Poland near the source of the river
{{geodis ...
. Only from time to time there were some Polish-Kaliningrad contacts, for example in November 1953, fish processing specialists from Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...
met with colleagues from Kaliningrad and the three Baltic republics at a working conference in Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
. In turn, in 1954, the Soviet side became interested in navigation data regarding the water route from Kaliningrad to Elbląg and Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
. However, this did not result in the launch of permanent cooperation.
The border began formulating in October and November 1945 when an artificial border was introduced, causing, among other things, eliminating some communication routes from use. The railway line Gołdap - Darkiejmy (currently Ozyorsk) - Nordenburg (currently Krylovo and on the Polish side Zielony Ostrów) - Gierdawy (currently Zheleznodorozhny) - Frydłód (currently Pravdinsk) - Iława Pruska (currently Bagrationovsk
Bagrationovsk (; , ; or '; or ') is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located close to the border with Poland, south of Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a ...
), where there was local junction, with routes to Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...
to the north and to Bartoszyce
Bartoszyce (pronounced ; , ) is a town on the Łyna River in northern Poland, with 22,597 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Bartoszyce County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
Geographical location
Bartoszyce lies on t ...
to the south. In several cases, the border was suddenly moved by the local Soviet authorities. In such at the end of June 1945, the commander of the Soviet military administration of the Pruska Iława district handed over to the Polish authorities the areas up to 1 km north of this city, but in mid-October the Soviet authorities moved the borders by 1 km south, taking over the city and the surrounding area. The village of Szczurkowo ( Gmina Sępopol, Bartoszyce County
__NOTOC__
Bartoszyce County () is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, northern Poland, on the border with Russia. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish loca ...
) remained on the Polish side and constituted approximately one third of the town's buildings. Most, including the local church, remained on the Soviet side. There were more churches left on the Soviet side, which was probably due to military reasons, as they were treated as Observation posts. The alignment of the border also had significant consequences for the largest city in the region, Elbląg, which is over 30 km away from the new border, and its port functions. A city with a great past as a sea port, after 1945 it ceased to be one. Back in August 1945 when Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
announced the actual closure of the port at a banquet
A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes inc ...
with the Polish government delegation in Moscow the report of the Union of Polish Ports assumed that Elbląg would be one of the four main Polish ports. In order for the city to be a port, it was necessary for the USSR to respect the norms of international maritime law and to enable the navigation of merchant ship
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...
s of all flags to Elbląg from the high seas through the Strait of Baltiysk. On August 11, 1945, the central authorities in Warsaw officially asked the USSR to open the strait. However, this navigation was made impossible, thwarting plans to recreate both a significant port center and a full shipbuilding industry. From Bagrationovsk
Bagrationovsk (; , ; or '; or ') is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located close to the border with Poland, south of Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a ...
, lost by Poland, the railway line ran further west to Zinten (Cynty, now Kornevo) and Święta Siekierka (now Mamonovo), where there was another junction, north to Królewiec and south to Braniewo. This route would be the best connection of all northern poviats of the Masurian District (since 1946, Olsztyn Voivodeship) with Elbląg and the rest of the country. It would facilitate the reconstruction of areas that have already suffered great losses as a result of the war and post-war robberies. Drawing the border parallel to the parallel resulted in a huge economic weakening of the entire area, from the Gołdap County to Elbląg County. On October 9, 1945, the government representative in the Masurian District, noticing the dramatic economic consequences of leaving the Święta Siekierka-Gołdap railway line on the Soviet side pleaded to the Polish government to improve the final border arrangement.
The lack of a formal demarcation of the border in the field, and it was the Army commandants and the Soviet Border Guard who demarcated it on the orders of their superiors, was a serious legal shortcoming. In April 1956, top Soviet authorities suggested that Warsaw designate a border line running south of Kaliningrad. It is worth noting that the telegram
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...
sent by the Polish People's Republic Embassy in Moscow to the Headquarters on this matter contains an annotation from the deputy director of Department 1 of the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kazimierz Korolczyk, who suggested that this issue be resolved in an unspecified future in "...more favorable circumstances". On August 8, in a note to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adam Rapacki, it was announced that diplomats of the Polish People's Republic had been instructed to exchange views. Meanwhile, the Russians insisted on talks soon because, in their opinion, rumors were being spread in the West that the lack of border delimitation in this section called into question the Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...
itself. However, the Polish October
The Polish October ( ), also known as the Polish thaw or Gomułka's thaw, also "small stabilization" () was a change in the politics of the Polish People's Republic that occurred in October 1956. Władysław Gomułka was appointed First Secretar ...
meant that practically no attention was paid to this issue. In this context, it is worth emphasizing the fact that it was omitted in the final communique, which was announced in Moscow after the conclusion of the Polish-Soviet talks held in Moscow on November 14–18 of the same year. The new leader of the Polish United Workers' Party, Władysław Gomułka
Władysław Gomułka (; 6 February 1905 – 1 September 1982) was a Polish Communist politician. He was the ''de facto'' leader of Polish People's Republic, post-war Poland from 1947 until 1948, and again from 1956 to 1970.
Born in 1905 in ...
, who for years had been striving for West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
to recognize the Oder–Neisse line, was interested in advancing the talks on the final demarcation of the border line with the USSR in order to deprive Western political opponents of the arguments. Finally, on March 4, 1957, a delegation of the Polish People's Republic arrived in Moscow, headed by Minister Rapacki. Just two days later, the agreement on demarcating the existing border in the part adjacent to the Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
was signed. Signatures on the document were submitted by Rapacki and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, Andrei Gromyko.
upThe border in the area of , August 2010">Gmina Banie Mazurskie, August 2010
The official demarcation of the boundary was finalized March 5, 1957, in the following terms:
In practice, the agreement was incomplete as it did not take into account the situation in many points where the border had to be rectified. During the work of the Delimitation Commission, the District National Council in Węgorzewo, and then the Provincial National Council in Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents
Olsz ...
, suggested connecting a five-kilometer section of the road connecting :pl:Ruskie Pola, located in Poland, with Kryłów, which belonged to the USSR, to the Polish People's Republic, as this section of the road was the only convenient connection of the village of Zielony Ostrów with the rest of the country. In return, the Polish side was ready to hand over to the Soviet side a similar section of the road connecting two towns on its side: Bogatowo and Korniewo. However, this proposal was not adopted by the Commission. However, other Polish proposals were taken into account: firstly, Poland was granted a relatively small area north of the town of Żytkiejmy, which enabled its inhabitants to farm, secondly, the Soviet Union agreed to give the Poland a one and a half kilometer section of the road connecting Szczurkowo with Ostre Bardo. The Polish side transferred, in the form of compensation, the crossroads in the area of the settlement of Mażucie, previously cut off by the border line, and also the Polish part of the lake near Bagrationovsk
Bagrationovsk (; , ; or '; or ') is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located close to the border with Poland, south of Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a ...
. The Delimitation Commission completed its work on September 10, 1957.
When Poland joined the European Union in 2004, this border became one of the borders between the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
and the non-EU countries.[Tomasz Dubowski. Chapter ''Granica polsko–rosyjska jako granica zewnętrzna Unii Europejskiej''. In ''PRZYJAZNA GRANICA NIEZBĘDNYM ELEMENTEM WZMACNIANIA STOSUNKÓW SPOŁECZEŃSTW POLSKI I ROSJI'', Wydział Prawa Uniwersytetu w Białymstoku, 2011. Accessed on 11 September 2012]
It is one of the five borders that Russia shares with the EU (see Border of the European Union).
As of 2008, there were three road crossings (Gołdap- Gusev, Bezledy-Bagrationovsk
Bagrationovsk (; , ; or '; or ') is a town and the administrative center of Bagrationovsky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located close to the border with Poland, south of Kaliningrad, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a ...
and Gronowo- Mamonovo) and three train crossing ( Braniewo-Mamonovo, Skandawa- Zheleznodorozhny and Głomno-Bagrationovsk). In 2010, the largest road crossing up to that point was opened at Grzechotki-Mamonovo. More crossings are being built ( Perły-Krylovo, Piaski-Baltiysk
Baltiysk ( ); ; Old Prussian: ''Pillawa''; ; ; is a seaport town and the administrative center of Baltiysky District in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the northern part of the Vistula Spit, on the shore of the Strait of Baltiysk separ ...
, Rapa- Ozyorsk), as the EU standards require Poland to operate at least seven for that border.[
In the first quarter of 2012, the Polish-Russian border saw the least traffic out of the borders Poland shares with the non-]European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
countries (the others being the Poland-Ukraine border and the Poland-Belarus border).[''Badanie obrotu towarów i usług na zewnętrznej granicy Unii Europejskiej na terenie Polski w I kwartale 2012 roku'', GŁÓWNY URZĄD STATYSTYCZNY URZĄD STATYSTYCZNY W RZESZOWIE, Warszawa-Rzeszów, 23 maja 2012 r.. Accessed 11 September 2011]
For that period, a majority of the individuals crossing the borders did so for the explicit purpose of short term (usually under one day) shopping; this was the case with 45% of foreigners entering Poland, and 87% of Poles entering Russia.[ Compared to traffic on other non-EU Polish borders, a much larger percentage (22% foreigners and 7% Poles) crossed the borders for the purpose of ]tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
and transit
Transit may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Transit'' (1980 film), a 1980 Israeli film
* ''Transit'' (1986 film), a Canadian short film
* ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countrie ...
(16.5% foreigners).[
On November 2, 2022, ]Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
's Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak announces the construction of a barrier along the border with the Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n exclave of Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad,. known as Königsberg; ; . until 1946, is the largest city and administrative centre of Kaliningrad Oblast, an Enclave and exclave, exclave of Russia between Lithuania and Poland ( west of the bulk of Russia), located on the Prego ...
, as Poland believes that Russia will use the border to illegally transport Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
n and Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
n immigrants to Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. This barrier is planned to reach high, and include cameras and motion detectors. The move to construct the barrier came in response to Kaliningrad allowing from 1 October for a far greater level of international flights to its airport.
Border area
Because Kaliningrad Oblast is small, homogeneous and an exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
within the European Union, in 2011 the whole Oblast was granted the status of border area eligible to local border traffic rules. In reciprocity, the following Polish administrative districts (y) were granted the same status:
* in the Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian Voivodeship ( ; ) is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship, or province, in northwestern Poland. The provincial capital is Gdańsk.
The voivodeship was established on January 1, 1999, out of the former voivodeships of Gdańsk Voivo ...
: Puck, Gdynia
Gdynia is a city in northern Poland and a seaport on the Baltic Sea coast. With an estimated population of 257,000, it is the List of cities in Poland, 12th-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in the Pomeranian Voivodeship after Gdańsk ...
, Sopot, Gdańsk
Gdańsk is a city on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast of northern Poland, and the capital of the Pomeranian Voivodeship. With a population of 486,492, Data for territorial unit 2261000. it is Poland's sixth-largest city and principal seaport. Gdań ...
city and county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
, Nowy Dwór Gdański, Malbork
Malbork (German: ''Marienburg'') is a town in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. It is the seat of Malbork County and has a population of 36,709 people as of 2024. The town is located on the Nogat river, in the historical region of Pomerelia.
Fo ...
* in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship: Elbląg city and county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
, Braniewo, Lidzbark, Bartoszyce
Bartoszyce (pronounced ; , ) is a town on the Łyna River in northern Poland, with 22,597 inhabitants as of December 2021. It is the capital of Bartoszyce County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
Geographical location
Bartoszyce lies on t ...
, Olsztyn
Olsztyn ( , ) is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with powiat rights, city with county rights. The population of the city was estimated at 169,793 residents
Olsz ...
city and county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
, Kętrzyn
Kętrzyn (, until 1946 ''Rastembork''; ) is a town in northeastern Poland with 27,478 inhabitants (2019). It is the capital of Kętrzyn County in the Warmian–Masurian Voivodeship.
The town is known for the surrounding Masurian Lakeland and num ...
, Mrągowo, Węgorzewo, Giżycko, Gołdap, Olecko
The border traffic is very high, and additional border crossings are being considered as of 2013. Due to worsened relations between Poland and Russia after the annexation of Crimea these plans came mostly to a halt.
Border crossings
See also
* Curzon Line
* Poland–Russia relations
* Polish–Russian Wars
*Enclave and exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poland-Russia border
Kaliningrad Oblast
European Union external borders
Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Borders of Poland
Borders of Russia
International borders