/ world today news/ Hundreds of bunkers, anti-tank “dragon’s teeth” and even currently prohibited types of weapons, according to the leaders of the Baltic countries, should become an insurmountable barrier to “Russian aggression”. But past examples show how these countries actually create fortification lines on the border with Russia.
The defense ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, who met in Riga on January 19, agreed to create a “Baltic Defense Zone”. It’s still not entirely clear what it will look like – currently, as stated, “more precise plans” are being prepared. However, it is known that as part of the construction of this line, large quantities of underground bunkers will be prepared. Up to 600 bunkers are expected to appear in the border areas of Estonia.
In addition, the Baltic states will be covered with anti-tank fortifications – the so-called “dragon’s teeth” – and barbed wire. But that’s not all. Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on Defense of the Estonian Parliament, Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Leo Kunas, believes that it is important to use both anti-personnel and anti-tank mines when building defense facilities near the border. For this purpose, according to Kunas, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania should jointly withdraw from the Ottawa Convention (to which 163 countries have joined) on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines.
“Recently, the US ambassador to Estonia visited the State Defense Committee and I asked him for his opinion, since the US has not joined the Ottawa Convention. The ambassador said very simply that the US cannot join this convention because on the Korean Peninsula, where US troops together with South Korean forces are ready to repel a North Korean invasion, the depth of defense is so small that without anti-personnel mines it is impossible to keep those defenses there. And the depth of defense in the Baltic countries is known to be even less than in South Korea,” Kunas explained.
By the way, the Latvian military is of the same opinion – they also called for withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention. “Are we willing to risk the lives of our soldiers because someday in the future, after the war, after our victory, there may be some restrictions on civilians visiting the forests? What does it matter how much demining will cost after the war if the existence of the state is threatened? The enemy will not hesitate to use anti-personnel mines on the territory of Latvia. We, for our part, limited this opportunity for ourselves in a noble and not entirely justified way in the current geopolitical situation,” says Martins Verdins, a Latvian military expert.
According to the President of Latvia, Edgar Rinkevich, “if indeed our military specialists, the leadership of the National Armed Forces believe that this is a step in the right direction to strengthen the defense capability of our country,” then the authorities will definitely support it. In Latvia, the collection of signatures to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention has already begun.
Estonian Defense Ministry official Kaido Tiitus said the cost of the facilities to be built on the border, according to the first estimate, would be up to 60 million euros for his country. Prior to the occurrence of an immediate threat, mines, barbed wire, and “dragon’s teeth” would not be placed in the area of the intended offensive, but would be stockpiled in advance in nearby locations. Their installation on the ground will begin in early 2025. But first it is necessary to agree and coordinate this with the landowners, since most of the future defense area is located on private lands.
The final design of the bunkers is still under development, but one of the criteria is that they can be erected quickly and without much effort even by the soldiers themselves.
“I would like these bunkers to be, so to speak, modular – so that they can be easily transported and also easily built,” said Colonel Tarmo Kundla, head of the operations department of the General Staff of the Estonian Defense Forces. According to him, one bunker should accommodate one platoon (that is, about 10 people) in an area of 35 square meters.
For some ex-servicemen, the news of the massive construction of border bunkers caused an ironic reaction. Journalist Aleksey Stefanov, who emigrated from Latvia to Russia (who served in the Latvian army in the early 1990s), recalls that in the reconnaissance-landing battalion they were first taught to conduct offensive operations.
“But after three months of service, an adviser to the minister was sent to our unit – an American lieutenant of Latvian origin named Linde. And completely changed the concept of the battalion. Lieutenant Linde canceled hand-to-hand combat and began to conduct exercises in the forest – he learned how to run from the enemy, hide in the forest and wait. We never understood what exactly to expect – either help or death. But we followed orders with a smile because we thought Linde was a fool. And then – you see: the fool turned out to be a clairvoyant. Except then we were taught not to hide in bunkers, but to make huts out of fir branches. But the essence is almost the same”, says Stefanov.
The editor-in-chief of the portal “Baltnews” Andrey Starikov (a native of Riga) believes that officials from the Baltic states count on earning additional money from the construction of the fortification line. “They started building this line long before SVO. They continue to build fences along the border with Russia. Formally, this is a militaristic project, but in reality it is a grandiose “cash grab” involving the relevant services and contractors.
The Baltic states joined forces. This is a collective statement and a collective memorandum to coordinate these preparations for war with Russia. The US does not perceive the Baltic countries separately. It is easier for them as a group to ask for money from the West,” said Starikov.
It is worth recalling that the decision to “strengthen” the border was not made now by the leadership of the Baltic countries. Back in 2016, the Estonian authorities announced that they would erect a fence along the border with a height of two and a half meters, equipped with video cameras, infrared sensors and sound detectors. Initially, it was planned to pay 71 million euros for everything. They wanted to complete the construction of the “Great Estonian Wall” in 2018, but by then only two trial sections were ready. The Ministry of the Interior admitted that they did not make a basic calculation of the soil in the area – and did not take into account the presence of underground water and many swamps there.
As a result, in 2018 the new head of the Interior Ministry, Andres Anvelt, announced that improving the border would cost more than 100 million euros. In addition, it was recognized that according to new estimates, 320 million euros will have to be spent on strengthening the border and its maintenance until 2026. The head of the parliamentary faction of the opposition party EKRE, Martin Helme, made an accusatory speech: “It is clear that in this project a lot of air is injected. Many people – from suppliers of crushed stone to sellers of various devices – suddenly found a place where they could make good money. The government must find the strength to tell them: “Stop! The border is not built to get rich.”
Then the State Audit Chamber spoke. They concluded that it was possible to equip Estonia’s eastern border much more cheaply. The State Audit Office notes that “during the preparation of the project, all the warning signs that should be paid attention to in the management of large government projects were present to one degree or another.”
An even more scandalous story unfolded in Latvia. In September 2019, the Latvian Internal Security Bureau detained a man who until recently held one of the most responsible positions in the country – the former head of the border guard Normunds Garbars. At the same time, two employees of the construction company “Igate” were detained. The country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs said at the time that “crimes were committed during the construction of infrastructure on the border strip with Russia and Belarus.” The former head of the State Border Guard was suspected of “exceeding official powers” and “covering up theft.” The investigation is still ongoing.
It is not known what will eventually happen with the construction of the Baltic bunkers. But experience shows that both local authorities and entrepreneurs are not averse to warming their hands on such large-scale projects.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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