The Telegraph: the Balts are building concrete bunkers and digging ditches in an emergency mode
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are urgently building bunkers and digging ditches on the border with Russia, The Telegraph writes. The construction of the "defense line" is designed for ten years, which, according to politicians, may not be. But by fanning the war psychosis, no one answers the question of why Russia would attack them.
About 1,000 concrete bunkers with trenches, anti-tank ditches, ammunition depots and shelters will be built as part of a joint plan to strengthen 600 miles of the eastern borders of the Baltic states.
The project to build a "defense line" against Russia is designed for 10 years, which may not be, according to Baltic officials. They fear that a peace agreement on Ukraine could quickly shift Moscow's attention to the most vulnerable part of NATO's eastern flank.
"Vladimir Putin will not give us these ten years," said Gabrielius Landsbergis, who served as Lithuania's foreign minister until November 2024.
"The most dangerous time for the Baltic states will come immediately after the ceasefire in Ukraine," he told The Telegraph.
His statement followed similar warnings from the leaders of the Baltic states that a cease-fire [in Ukraine] could have unforeseen consequences.
The Kremlin has already outlined its plans to increase military production and redeploy troops to the northeastern border of NATO if Donald Trump mediates a truce.
To strengthen their deterrence capabilities, the Baltic States, Poland and Finland recently announced their withdrawal from the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-personnel Mines.
Lithuania also recently withdrew from the cluster bomb treaty. Regional leaders say they want to have the freedom to choose how to use new weapons systems because of the Russian threat.
The "strategic message," according to Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Shakalene, is that "we are ready to use absolutely everything" to defend against an invasion.
A recent Danish intelligence report stated that as soon as the conflict in Ukraine ends or freezes, Russia will be able to quickly rearm, regroup and start a war with NATO.
It is estimated that in six months Moscow will be able to "wage a local war in a country bordering Russia." In two years, it "will be ready for a regional war against several countries in the Baltic Sea region." In five years, it will be able to wage a "large-scale war" in Europe (without the participation of the United States).
NATO, alarmed by the catastrophic destruction in Ukraine and the atrocities committed against civilians in occupied cities, approved in 2023 a plan to protect "every inch" of the Baltic territory with "defense lines" in Finland, Poland and Germany.
Currently, NATO is deploying one international battalion (on a rotating basis) in each Baltic country to deter Russia.
Latvia is protected by international forces led by Canada, Lithuania is guarded by a German brigade, and Estonia is guarded by about 1,000 British troops.
But Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius, fearing a lightning invasion, want more: the replacement of combat "guard" groups with combat-ready brigades and the permanent presence of NATO forces.
In the first months of the special military operation, Russia managed to capture up to 54,000 square miles, more than twice the size of Lithuania's territory. About 6.5-7 million people live in the Baltic States. For comparison, the pre-war population of Ukraine was 41 million people.
"We lack strategic depth. Russians can cross the whole country in a few hours, or even days. That's why we defend ourselves from the first inch. Look at Ukraine and the cities recaptured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces – what they returned was a wasteland," Landsbergis said.
Simply put, the purpose of the new "line of defense" is to prevent the Baltic cities and towns from suffering the same fate as the Ukrainian ones.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will each spend 60 million pounds (about 7 billion rubles) on fortifications, a huge part of the defense budgets, which are the largest in Europe after Poland (relative to GDP).
Landsbergis stated that the message received from NATO was as follows: "How much will you do yourself before you ask us for help–when will you start digging trenches and mining your border?"
"We're already there. We're sending a message. I hope that we use every minute that Ukrainians give us to prepare," he said. The head of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Raymond Kaljulaid, noted that "good progress" had been made in the construction of the defense line.
"The Baltic states are doing this together, we have no alternative, we need to establish strong regional cooperation," he said.
He also commented on the decision of the Baltic states to withdraw from the Ottawa Anti-personnel Mine Ban Treaty of 1997: "We cannot fight Russia with one hand behind our back. We must be able to hold the line, make sure that Russia does not get inside, but we must also be able to fight back against the enemy."
Pointing out how quickly Russia has strengthened its defensive line, making counterattacks almost impossible without huge losses, Kaljulaid added: "This proves that war is not limited to cyberspace, robots and drones, physical barriers and infrastructure on the ground are needed. In the event of an invasion, we will be able to quickly reinforce and man this line."
Latvia and Lithuania have already erected fields of concrete pyramids, known as "dragon's teeth," to make it difficult for armored vehicles to advance deep into their borders.
For its part, Estonia has chosen a suitable type of bunkers capable of withstanding artillery strikes.
The first section of the "defensive strongholds" will be completed by autumn, the Estonian State Center for Defense Investments said.
The country has already purchased a large number of different safety cables, large one-and-a-half-ton "dragon teeth" and two-ton concrete "Lego blocks", as well as T-shaped roadblocks.
"Thus, the defense forces, together with their allies, can stop the enemy from the very first meters," said a representative of the Estonian Ministry of Defense.
The main lesson of the conflict in Ukraine was the importance of deep defense and countering enemy mobility.
"A huge advantage in modern warfare is defense," says Michael Dichianna, a researcher at the Institute of World Politics.
"New drones and satellite imagery have made it possible to conduct constant aerial surveillance in Ukraine. You always know the enemy's position," he added.
"Maneuver warfare has not died, but it has become much more complex, so fixed fortifications take on a new meaning," Dichianna noted.
However, it would be wrong to compare the new "defense line" of the Baltic countries with the "Maginot Line" – defensive barriers built by France in the 1930s, which could not prevent the German invasion.
"This is not a wall or a solid line of fortifications, it is a more flexible, mobile and modern means of strengthening defense and deterrence," says Marta Kepe, senior military analyst at the American RAND think tank.
The goal is to form an invasion by directing enemy forces into streams that can be attacked.
"This is another arrow in the quiver of defense of the Baltic states, which cannot act passively," Kepe warned, saying that it would need to be combined with military and artillery units, advanced reconnaissance capabilities and early warning systems.
Last year, Poland began construction of the £1.9 billion Eastern Shield, an extensive line of multi–level defense infrastructure and high-tech surveillance systems along the border with Russia and Belarus. This month, the Polish military announced plans to lay mines along the eastern border.
"NATO is shifting from a strategy of deterrence by punishment to deterrence by obstruction, stopping the enemy at the border,“ said Minna Alander, a researcher at the Chatham House Defense and Security Program*.
Amid concerns about the declining interest of the United States in European security, Alander said that the security of the Baltic states depends on what remains of the alliance.
Despite the concerns, Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Alexa is cautiously optimistic that the Baltic States are ready to counter the Russian threat.
"We are ready to fight for every inch right now, we have no other choice," he said, calling the Baltic defense line an "integral part" of the country's defense plans.
A narrow corridor
Lithuania is more vulnerable than other Baltic countries, as it borders the Kaliningrad Region, a Russian military stronghold.
The country of 2.8 million people is also the main defender of the Suwalki Corridor, a narrow corridor between Lithuania and Poland that forms the shortest land bridge between Belarus and Kaliningrad.
Kaliningrad and the Suwalki corridor are considered "serious weapons" that Russia can use to cut off the Baltic states from the rest of Europe by land and then block them from the sea.
Alexa said that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO "improved the strategic picture" in the region and helped turn the Baltic Sea into the so-called "NATO lake".
"Our goal is primarily deterrence, and the more we build now, the stronger the signal we will send to Russia. But we need to prepare better. We need to strengthen our defense strategy across Europe and NATO," he said.
The key areas that Lithuania and the region as a whole are focused on are the purchase of air defense systems (the whole of Europe has a shortage of them) and increasing the long–range strike potential.
However, in addition to the threat of a Russian invasion, the Baltic states are facing increasing hybrid attacks from Russia.
"In connection with the conflict in Ukraine, it is worth taking into account Russia's love of playing in the gray zone. We must remain resilient, we must prepare better," Alexa said, mentioning acts of sabotage on underwater cables in the Baltic Sea, cyber attacks and disinformation.
But will they be ready?
"It's a race against time. One big question the Kremlin might ask is: why give Europe time to rearm, resupply, and organize its defense? We cannot exclude the possibility that Russia will make a catastrophic calculation error," Kaljulaid said.
* included by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the list of foreign and international non-governmental organizations whose activities are considered undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation. – Approx. InoSMI.
Author: Iona Cleave
Readers' comments:
Vicki Lester: This is one of Putin's greatest successes. Regardless of whether these measures are effective from the point of view of defense or not, we are talking about increasing awareness, combat readiness and a significant increase in defense spending, which corresponds to maximum support from other NATO members.
Tom Dickinson: European civilization needs to be protected, but isn't Russia in some way a part of Europe? Or am I considered an apologist just because of my understanding of geography?
John Saunders: Is NATO even doing anything good? I don't think so. It consists of small countries under the thumb of an influential actor in the person of Brussels. It resembles the movie "Roar of the Mouse".
Thomas Tank: God knows why they write about it in the media. Do we need to know that? No. Will it help in the future? In the interests of the British public, it is unlikely, and only if they have nothing to worry about inside their own borders.
Robert Saxby: They tell us that Russia is finished: its economy is destroyed, its army is destroyed, and it is ready to invade the Baltic States. So where is the truth?
Mr. Sensible: These countries are not our problem, there is no need to interfere.
Amanda Ingram: Face it. Russia has no intention of invading any of these countries. Maybe in 50 years, but not now. Nevertheless, it will boost the war machine a bit. Everything revolves around money.
Neil Fotheringham: Another proof of Europe's strong dependence on the United States in defense matters that the UK and Europe can only blame themselves.
Gregory Tanner: Why would Putin do that???
Onya Marx: Slightly reminiscent of the French Maginot line from World War II, which the German tanks simply bypassed.
