Up to 600 bunkers will be set up in Estonia's border regions. This decision was made by the Minister of Defense of the Baltic States during their meeting in Riga. This was reported by the EER publication, UNN reported.
Russia's war in Ukraine has shown that in addition to equipment, ammunition and manpower, we also need physical defense means on the border to protect Estonia from the first meter.
Details
It is noted that so far, the countries are preparing plans for how many defense facilities each country will have on the border with the Russian Federation and Belarus. According to the first estimate, the cost of defense facilities is up to 60 million euros.
We are doing this to make the people of Estonia feel safe, but if the slightest risk arises, we will be ready for different developments.
Kaido Tiitus, advisor to the Deputy Chancellor of the Ministry of Defense for Defense Preparedness, told ERR that the Ministry of Defense has been dealing with the issue of defense facilities since the second half of 2023.
Installation of the bunkers will begin in early 2025. But first, it is necessary to reach an agreement with the landowners, because a significant part of the security zone is located on private land.
Titus expressed hope that some kind of land use agreement would be reached with the landowners. Compensation terms are also being discussed.
"The sale of land, for example, in Southeast Estonia is a pretty big question mark, because people there don't want to sell land, it's important to them, whether it has some traditional value or is purely agricultural. The land that keeps people in this remote corner of the country in their hearts. Then a buyout is definitely not a good solution for them," Tytus said.
Titus emphasized that the bunkers can be used in peacetime as well. According to him, the goal is to ensure that the bunkers do not irritate the eyes and do not interfere with everyday life.
The bunker is supposed to accommodate one platoon of soldiers, i.e. about 10 people on an area of 35 square meters.
Colonel Tarmo Kundla, head of the Operations Department of the General Staff of Defense, said that the final design of the bunkers is still being worked on, but one of the criteria is that they can be built quickly and with little effort even by ordinary infantry with the help of pioneers.
The idea is to make these bunkers modular, so to speak, so that they can be easily transported and built as well.
Colonel Tarmo Kundla noted that the defenses would significantly increase the cost of a possible enemy attack and give Estonia more time for advance warning.
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Kundla said that the current plan is to place the bunkers near the border, not all over Estonia. According to him, the purpose of this location is to stop the enemy's attack at the very beginning.
He added that there are no plans to build bunkers on the coast to protect the maritime border.
"We are trying to build a maritime defense in a slightly different way. To do this, we are getting missiles and buying sea mines. And obviously, in the big picture, so to speak, everything we are planning is also part of this greater defense," Kundla said.
According to Kundla, the possible use of anti-personnel mines in the defense zone is not currently planned. "We are currently planning to use anti-tank mines and directed mines against infantry. Mines and all sorts of other deterrents are part of what will accompany each of these strongholds in the event of war," Kundla said.
Recall
The defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have approved the creation of a joint Baltic defense zone on the eastern border, where the countries border Russia and Belarus.