The Dutch Army is testing a new prisoner-of-war camp design this week in Marnehuizen, preparing for the possibility of holding up to 2,000 captured Russian soldiers in the event of a large-scale conflict, Dutch newspaper AD reports. It is the first time in more than 30 years that the Netherlands has conducted training focused on detention at this scale.

The Dutch Army is testing a new prisoner-of-war camp design this week in Marnehuizen, preparing for the possibility of holding up to 2,000 captured Russian soldiers in the event of a large-scale conflict, Dutch newspaper AD reports. It is the first time in more than 30 years that the Netherlands has conducted training focused on detention at this scale.

The exercise is part of a broader shift in military planning, as scenarios involving mass captures of enemy troops are again being treated as plausible. The temporary facility in the Groningen training area is intended to demonstrate how large numbers of detainees could be processed and held far from the front line.

Brigadier General Nicole de Wolf, commander of the Operational Support Command of the Army, said the goal is not to recreate older models of detention facilities.

The design differs significantly from traditional images of prisoner-of-war camps. Instead of manned watchtowers, the site is monitored using tall poles equipped with advanced cameras. A drone can also be deployed overhead to transmit live video feeds to a central command post.