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Dutch Army Prepares to Hold 2,000 Russian POWs as Europe Drills for War
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The Dutch army is practicing how to build a prisoner-of-war camp for the first time in more than 30 years, as the Netherlands prepares for the possibility of a future conflict with Russia, Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) reported on June 13.
Last week, troops were testing a camp design at the Marnehuizen training area in Groningen province. In wartime, the site could hold up to 2,000 captured soldiers.
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According to AD, the camp could be deployed within one week. Its construction would involve not only military personnel, but also civilian contractors, usually responsible for building infrastructure for major music festivals.
The facility would look different from traditional prisoner-of-war camps of the past. Instead of rows of watchtowers and searchlights, security would rely on modern surveillance systems. Cameras would respond to image and sound, while drones would fly over the area and transmit live video.
Prisoners would be housed in small white barracks with bunk beds. Officers and enlisted soldiers would be held together, with no more than 20 people in one room. The camp would include walking areas, shared showers, a dining facility, and a medical post.
Mobile phones and personal electronic devices would be confiscated, but prisoners would be allowed to write letters to relatives.
“They can count on living conditions at least no worse than those in which our own servicemembers are housed,” said Brigadier General Nicole de Wolf, commander of the Royal Netherlands Army’s Operational Support Command.
The last exercises of this kind took place during the Cold War. De Wolf said the Dutch military has largely lost the experience of holding thousands of prisoners over the past decades.
During missions in Afghanistan, Dutch forces usually detained only two or three people at a time, who could be held at military bases.
“If you have disarmed the enemy, you want to move him away from the front line as quickly as possible,” de Wolf said.
Captured soldiers would be transported hundreds of kilometers into the rear, where they would be registered, questioned, and held until a possible exchange for Dutch prisoners.
Dutch officials say humane treatment of prisoners is not only required under international law, but also serves a practical purpose.
“Do not do to others what you would not want done to yourself,” de Wolf said.
According to her, the Netherlands expects that if its own soldiers are captured, they would also be treated humanely.
Earlier, NATO member nations reached a consensus that Russia could possess the military capability to launch an attack against an Alliance country by 2029 or possibly sooner.
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