Poland has become the first European Union member state ever to leave the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Treaty) after its six-month withdrawal period elapsed at midnight on 20 February 2026. Deputy Defence Minister Paweł Zalewski told reporters that Warsaw now has “a free hand to manufacture, stockpile and, if necessary, lay anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines within 48 hours” as part of its multi-layer ‘East Shield’ fortifications facing Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. The decision caps a two-year debate that intensified after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Polish and Baltic leaders argued that the treaty’s humanitarian rationale had been overtaken by a radically altered security landscape in which Moscow resorts to hybrid pressure—including engineered migration flows—against NATO’s eastern flank. Although Poland destroyed its last legacy mine stockpile in 2016, the defence ministry has already tendered for new remotely-controlled self-neutralising mines that comply with NATO safety standards. From a mobility perspective, the re-militarisation of the frontier could curtail cross-border commerce. Forwarders warn that new restricted zones and possible civilian travel bans would affect two of the EU’s busiest east-west freight corridors (Via Carpatia and Rail Baltic). Multinationals with plants in the Suwałki, Podlaskie and Warmia-Mazury regions are mapping alternative supply routes and advising expatriate staff to carry contingency travel documentation.
![Poland formally exits Ottawa Treaty, paves way to deploy landmines along Belarus and Kaliningrad borders]()
For companies and travellers suddenly facing tighter Polish border controls, VisaHQ can help cut through the red tape. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) tracks live changes to permits, e-visas and transit requirements, allowing logistics teams, expatriates and visiting technicians to secure the correct documents quickly and avoid costly delays.
At the same time, Poland insists the measure is defensive and temporary. Officials emphasise that controlled minefields will be electronically fenced, GPS-mapped and incorporated into the EU’s forthcoming Entry/Exit System so that legitimate travellers can still be channelled through designated crossings. A review clause inserted into the withdrawal law requires parliament to reassess the security environment every 24 months. For global mobility managers the key take-aways are: anticipate stricter border-zone permits for technicians and drivers, factor in longer transit times on the eastern axis, and update duty-of-care protocols for assignees posted near the frontier. Companies should also monitor NATO deliberations, as harmonised rules on military-grade obstacles could follow.
For companies and travellers suddenly facing tighter Polish border controls, VisaHQ can help cut through the red tape. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/poland/) tracks live changes to permits, e-visas and transit requirements, allowing logistics teams, expatriates and visiting technicians to secure the correct documents quickly and avoid costly delays.
At the same time, Poland insists the measure is defensive and temporary. Officials emphasise that controlled minefields will be electronically fenced, GPS-mapped and incorporated into the EU’s forthcoming Entry/Exit System so that legitimate travellers can still be channelled through designated crossings. A review clause inserted into the withdrawal law requires parliament to reassess the security environment every 24 months. For global mobility managers the key take-aways are: anticipate stricter border-zone permits for technicians and drivers, factor in longer transit times on the eastern axis, and update duty-of-care protocols for assignees posted near the frontier. Companies should also monitor NATO deliberations, as harmonised rules on military-grade obstacles could follow.
