NATO member Lithuania builds unified defense line as Europe prepares for potential war

Lithuania is preparing for possible security threats by significantly strengthening its borders. 

As a country that borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus, the latter of which Russia used as a launching pad to invade Ukraine, Vilnius is building a three-tiered, deeply layered defense line, featuring anti-tank ditches, fortified checkpoints, and infrastructure ready for air defense.

The 1.1 billion-euro project will be integrated with the defense lines of the other two Baltic countries of Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania’s Deputy Minister of National Defense Tomas Godliauskas said, UNN reports.

Lithuania’s defense line will have three levels: the first, up to 3 kilometers from the border, and will include anti-tank ditches, “dragon’s teeth,” and minefields; the second, up to 20 kilometers, will feature reinforced positions and blocked staging areas; the third, up to 50 kilometers, will consist of ditches, bridges prepared for bombardment, and trees that can be quickly cleared along key routes.

Poland’s “East Shield” project will be linked with Lithuania’s defenses on a military-operational level this fall. The first tier will also block roads leading to the Belarusian and Russian borders and strengthen security at critical sites, including the port of Klaipeda.

Air defense is a key focus, with hundreds of millions of euros invested in air defense systems, counter-drone capabilities, and electronic warfare measures to jam the signals of drones. The entire defense program is planned over a 10-year horizon.

Border fortifications and road preparation will begin this September–October, while the installation of engineering structures and coordination of operations will continue in the following years.

Through these measures, Lithuania is building a unified, interconnected defense system capable of responding effectively to threats on land and in the air, strengthening the security of the entire region.

Earlier, Lithuania called on NATO to rapidly bolster its air defenses after a Russian drone flew over the country.

Lithuania also aims to reinforce the Suwałki Corridor — the territory connecting the Baltic States to Poland and one that separates Russia’s Kaliningrad region and Belarus. Military analysts consider the Suwałki Corridor a potential target for a Russian strike in the event of a possible Kremlin attack on NATO countries.