Baltic States Hastily Build Defense Line Against Russia
A project by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to fortify their eastern borders against Russia may come too late, the Telegraph reported on April 7 based on statements from officials in the region.
- Around 1,000 concrete bunkers with trenches, antitank ditches, ammunition depots and supply shelters are to be constructed as part of the 10-year project named the Baltic Defense Line that the three nations announced just over a year ago.
Officials in the region fear a peace deal in Ukraine could come soon, turning Russia’s attention to this exposed part of nato’s eastern flank.
We need 10 years to prepare for the Russian threat. [Vladimir] Putin is not going to let us wait those 10 years. … The most dangerous time for the Baltics will be immediately after a ceasefire in Ukraine.
—Gabrielius Landsbergis, former foreign minister of Lithuania
Fear of Russia: The three countries will each spend $70 million on the defense line, a significant portion of their defense budgets. Relative to gross domestic product, the eastern states have the largest defense spending in Europe after Poland. Lithuania and Estonia aim to reach 5 percent of gdp on defense spending by 2026.
Due to fear of Russia, the three Baltic nations along with Poland announced their withdrawal from an international treaty banning land mines last month. Lithuania also withdrew from an international convention banning cluster bombs.
We lack the strategic depth. Russians could move through the whole country in hours, if not days. This is why we defend from the first inch. Look at Ukraine and at their reconquered cities, what they took back was a wasteland.
—Gabrielius Landsbergis
Europe’s remilitarization: The Baltic states are doing whatever they can to protect themselves from suffering the same fate as Ukraine. But their defense buildup is part of a larger trend in Europe that will lead to a unified and militaristic superpower unlike anything mankind has ever seen.
To learn more, read our Trends article “Why the Trumpet Watches Europe’s Ongoing Unification Project.”
