The Lithuanian defence line is set to form part of a fortification system agreed in January by the Baltic countries’ defence ministers in response to a Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Lithuania has opened its first mobile shelter park in the country’s eastern region, part of the Baltic defense line slowly taking shape along NATO’s eastern border.
The area contains roadblocks, various barriers, and anti-tank obstacles in the shape of ‘dragon’s teeth’.
“If we want to defend effectively, we have to build this system. That’s why we are doing it, and the entire plan for the Lithuanian defense line, which we presented three weeks ago, is based on a systematic approach that integrates physical barriers and artillery fire coverage,” said Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas.
The Pabrade region near the Belarusian border also includes traditional obstacles such as ‘hedgehogs’ and ‘Spanish horses’, which can be quickly deployed elsewhere in case of an attack.
“The war in Ukraine has shown the staying power of the classics. You can talk about air superiority, naval superiority, land superiority, joint warfare, but obstacles do their job. They slow down or stop the enemy so that we can destroy him or force him to where we want to destroy him,” Defense Minister Raimundas Vaiksnoras told reporters.
In late July, the Lithuanian government approved plans to implement increased anti-trafficking measures, including roadblocks and planting explosives under bridges.
According to the plan, by April 2025, a park of mobile response equipment will be built in locations designated by the military along the border with Belarus to the east and in the Kaliningrad region of Russia to the west.
While immediate action will cost around €17.5 million, the total cost of the defence system is estimated at around €600 million over the next decade.
The Lithuanian defensive line is set to form part of a fortification system agreed upon by the Baltic defense ministers in January.
Poland is also set to fortify its eastern border under the Eastern Shield initiative, with construction underway on the first phase of the Baltic defensive line in Latvia’s easternmost region of Latgale.
The leaders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland signed a letter in June urging the EU to fund a defence line worth around €2.5 billion to counter military and hybrid threats from the east.
The Baltic states signed an agreement in January to establish a joint defensive line to strengthen NATO’s eastern border with Russia and close ally Belarus.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were all once part of the Soviet Union but are now part of the EU and NATO and are allies of Ukraine. Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.