By Olha Hembik | 2025-04-25

WARSAW -- Snapping photos of jets near Warsaw's aviation institute was once a casual pastime, part of the daily rhythm near Chopin Airport, where families and plane spotters gathered to watch takeoffs and landings.

Now, that simple act can be a potential violation.

As of April 17, Poland prohibits photography of military installations and critical infrastructure without official permission, Wyborcza reported.

This shift is especially noticeable near the Łukasiewicz Research Network -- Institute of Aviation on Krakowska Avenue, where helicopters and planes are part of a permanent outdoor exhibition. The institute conducts scientific research and engineering work on rocket engines and missile technologies.

The area has long been a favorite for locals and tourists alike. With the airport nearby, passersby regularly stop to watch planes and capture photos and videos, often including aircraft in the frame. While security staff previously stopped photography on institute grounds, they typically ignored activity beyond the fence.

The new ban extends well beyond this location. It covers sites deemed vital to national security or defense, including Ministry of National Defense facilities and critical infrastructure. It also applies to photographing individuals and vehicles on military grounds. All methods of image and video capture -- from the ground or from the air -- are included.

"Last year, we had to deal with about a dozen acts or attempted acts of sabotage at the request of foreign [intelligence] services," Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration Tomasz Siemoniak said on April 17, according to Infosecurity24.

"As the police, military police and security agencies, we are constantly dealing with cases where various individuals attempt to photograph and document different sites in Poland," he said.

In a hybrid war

Poland's Ministry of National Defense estimates that as many as 25,000 sites could be designated off-limits for photography under the country's new regulations. The list may include railroad stations, airports, roads and overpasses deemed strategically important.

Facility managers will decide whether their sites should be included in the ban. The ministry will then grant approval and add them to a national registry. The aim is to protect infrastructure from foreign surveillance.

"We are under constant surveillance. We are being spied on. This stems from the fact that we are in a hybrid war," Gen. Waldemar Skrzypczak said in an interview with Fakt in April.

He called the decree "a response ... to hybrid attacks on Poland, including those focused on infiltrating, monitoring and spying on facilities and troop movements."

Even subtle changes in the layout of military installations -- new antennas, poles or buildings -- could be analyzed by adversaries to infer the military's operational plans, he added.

The Defense Ministry has introduced a procedure for granting permission to photograph military bases and other sensitive subjects. But not everyone says the restrictions came in time.

"I think they started implementing this a little late. If [the ban] was supposed to prevent acts of sabotage by Russia, it should have been done at least three years ago, if not earlier," said Piotr Kaszuwara, a Polish war correspondent and founder of the NGO Fundacja Przyszłość dla Ukrainy UA Future.

"I'm certain that the Russians have already studied our country very thoroughly. Technology and phones offer such capabilities that, if someone really wants to photograph something, I'm sure he [or she] will do it anyway," he told Kontur.

But Skrzypczak says the measures are worth it, even if the regulation is partially effective. "[I]t could be up to 90% effective. I don't think anyone expects it to be 100% effective," he told Fakt.

Attention on the sign

A formal ban on photographing sites important to national defense has been in place in Poland since 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The latest regulations reinforce that restriction and allow agencies to fine individuals for unauthorized images.

Some are ready for the new regulation.

"In Poland, we've long avoided planning photo shoots near any military buildings and important government agencies, especially when drones are involved," said Szymon Nazaruk, a wedding photographer from Warsaw.

"The new rules won't particularly affect my work. I might just need to choose shooting locations more carefully," he told Kontur. "There's a war in the neighboring country [Ukraine], and that poses threats for Poland too."

Each restricted site will now display a sign reading "Zakaz fotografowania" (No photography), with images of a camera, video camera and phone crossed out. The message will appear in English, German, Russian and Arabic. The signage rollout will cost the state an estimated 1 million PLN (€233,700).

Previously, the lack of signage made enforcement difficult. Now, violations may result in fines ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 PLN (€1,168 to €4,675), and in serious cases, up to 30 days in jail. Authorities may confiscate the device used, even if it does not belong to the offender.

"In theory, I can no longer take photos of the skyscrapers from my balcony because a counterterrorism unit ends up in the frame. It turns out that drone filming is essentially impossible, since in Warsaw bridges and government and military buildings are almost always visible," said Artur Wojdygo, a Warsaw resident who aids Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

"And what if a dashboard camera records the transport of troops? How will the Polish government resolve that issue with Google? Even military bases, bridges and sensitive sites appear in Street View," he told Kontur.

The defense ministry says dashboard recordings are not a concern unless they raise red flags.

"The agencies need to respond only when a specific individual seems suspicious to them," said Interior Minister Siemoniak in April, according to Wiadomosci.

"For Poland, the threat of war is something new -- people are just starting to learn to live with it. Similar bans ... were introduced in Israel many years ago, and all important sites on Google Maps are blurred. I suspect this hasn't yet been done in Poland," said correspondent Kaszuwara.

Still, Poles will take the rules seriously, he predicted.

"Discipline in matters of security has always been important to the people of Poland. There's no doubt that we must take responsibility for this ourselves."