Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will build a Baltic Defense Zone on border with russia

The Ministers of Defense of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania agreed on the creation of a defense zone on the border with russia, Postimees writes.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said that the Baltic Defense Zone is a "carefully thought out project, the necessity of which arises from the security situation."

"Russia's war in Ukraine showed that to protect Estonia, we need not only equipment, ammunition, and manpower, but also physical defense structures on the border from the first meter," said Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.

Estonia, as the adviser to the vice-chancellor of the country's Ministry of Defense Kaido Tiitus noted, will build a defense line with 600 concrete bunkers, each of which is designed for ten people, on the border with the russian federation. Most of the defensive structures will be built in Ida-Viru and the southeast of Estonia, but some will also be located near Lake Peipus, the publication clarifies.

According to the Estonian National Broadcasting Company, the construction of bunkers near the Estonian-Russian border will begin in early 2025. For this, the Estonian authorities must agree on the construction with the landowners since most of the defense line is on privately owned land.

In addition to the construction of a network of defense structures on the border with the russian federation, the Baltic countries signed a declaration on the joint use of American HIMARS missile systems for defense.

"Russia is and will be the biggest threat to Estonia's security. The war in Ukraine reduced russia's offensive power, but, according to various estimates, it is ready to restore it within two to three years. We must be ready and make the price of an attack on Estonia as high as possible for russia," Titus said.

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