Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have signed an agreement on the creation of a special defense system of 600 bunkers designed to deter Russia from attacking the eastern flank of NATO
The plans for joint defenses were revealed last Friday by Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds after his meeting with the defense ministers of Lithuania and Estonia. All three agree that the build-up of defense installations will strengthen their borders as well as deter Russia from potential military action.
The joint bunker defenses flow from the decisions taken at the NATO summit in Madrid, which mandated all member states to prepare plans to defend their territory from attack.
Spruds posted on X that the fortifications aim to strengthen the eastern flank of NATO and are directed at preventing freedom of movement for any enemy. He added that in the period preceding the historic NATO summit in Washington, there was a need for NATO to show it was better prepared for defense than ever before.
“In the light of Russian aggression in Ukraine, it is essential that cooperation between the three Baltic states becomes the strongest ever in our histories,” said Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas. His Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, emphasized that apart from equipment, ammunition and human resources, there was a need for physical barriers so that every meter of territory could be defended.
The Estonian newspaper Postimees has reported that the country is creating a network of 600 bunkers on its border with Russia at a cost of €60 million. However, construction plans still need to be agreed upon with the local population and landowners.
