Lithuania opened the first park to counter enemy mobility in the east of the country, which it calls part of the Baltic defense line, which is gradually forming on the eastern borders of NATO. This UNN reports with reference to Delfi.
There are roadblocks, various fences and “dragon's teeth” anti-tank obstacles within the park.
The area near the border with Belarus also includes traditional obstacles such as hedgehogs and Spanish horses, which can be quickly deployed elsewhere in the event of an attack.
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“The war in Ukraine has exposed the power of the classics. We can talk about air superiority, naval superiority, land superiority and joint warfare - but obstacles do their job, they slow down or stop the enemy, which allows us to destroy him or direct him where we will destroy him,” said Lithuanian Armed Forces Commander Raimundas Vaikschnoras.
As Delfi writes, in late July the Lithuanian government approved plans to strengthen anti-mobility measures, including setting up roadblocks and placing explosive devices under bridges.
By April 2025, they plan to establish anti-vehicle equipment fleets at locations identified by the army along the border with Belarus in the east and in the west, in the Kaliningrad region of Russia.
This will cost around 17.5 million euros, but the cost of the entire defense system over the next decade is estimated at around 600 million euros.
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Supplement
The Lithuanian defense line will be part of a fortification system agreed upon by Baltic defense ministers in January.
In June, the leaders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland signed a letter calling on the EU to fund a €2.5 billion defense line against military and hybrid threats from the East.