Hanno Pevkur, the Minister of Defense of Estonia (EMoD), announced at a press conference in Riga on Friday, January 19, that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have agreed to build a defense line on their eastern borders, consisting of a series of interconnected bunkers exists to defend them against a future military attack from Russia and Belarus.
He stressed that the plans were based on decisions made at the NATO summit in Madrid in 2023, which called on allies to be ready to defend their territory from the first meter through the development of regional defense plans.
Pevkur said: “The Baltic countries are an operational area and therefore [our] Defense facilities will be built in coordination with Latvia and Lithuania.”
He continued that the Russian invasion of Ukraine demonstrated the need for “physical defenses on the border” as well as an increase in equipment, ammunition and manpower.
Estonia said it would build about 600 concrete bunkers connected to distribution lines. The cost is more than 60 million euros (US$65 million). Each bunker is designed to house ten troops for an extended period of time and would have sleeping accommodations and life support equipment.
Kaido Tiytus, an advisor to the EMoD, provided sketches of the bunkers to be built. These consisted of T-shaped trenches camouflaged by foliage and designed to withstand a direct hit from a 152 mm projectile as well as enemy fire and projectile fragments.
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Schematic design for the row of bunkers to form the Baltic defense line. Source Estonian Ministry of Defense
Tiytus said that in addition to the bunker complexes, “dragon's teeth” anti-tank barriers, barrage minefields and barbed wire would also be stored nearby to be installed if necessary. They would not be placed in peacetime to minimize impact on the local population and to make maintenance easier.
He said: “Russia is and remains the biggest threat to Estonia’s security. The war in Ukraine has weakened Russia's offensive power, but… [it is likely] restore something [its capability] within two to three years. We must be ready and make the price for Russia of attacking Estonia as high as possible.”
The head of the operational department of the Estonian General Staff, Colonel Tarmo Kundla, pointed out that the bunkers under construction would be designed to form several defensive zones near the border. The detailed draft of the entire defense plan would be completed by the end of the year after consultation with local communities and landowners. Installation of the bunkers is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2025 and construction is expected to take two to three years.
Kundla emphasized that the bunkers to be built should not stand out in nature or visually in the landscape. “Bunkers will leave barely noticeable traces on nature,” he said.
There will be no permanent security at the bunkers and no fences will be erected around them. However, all bunkers have lockable doors and security is ensured through regular visits and security checks.
A later EMoD statement issued on behalf of the defense ministers of the three nations said they had also signed a memorandum of understanding to procure US HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and other advanced weapons and a framework for sharing the weapon systems create. Estonia and Latvia also signed a cooperation agreement to conduct NATO air policing from Latvia's Lielvarde air base while the runway at Estonia's Ämari air base is being repaired.
The statement also said discussions were underway on issues related to additional support to Ukraine, capability development and the upcoming NATO summit in Washington.