More than 600 bunkers to defend

In May, a European area was alerted. The satellite data that had been achieved exclusively The Wall Street Journal They showed that Russia was expanding its bases military along its border with Finland. The documents also explained What did the United States In the area for weeks. Before the Russian threat, three other countries that are border have just revealed their plan: an extensive Baltic wall.

The encounter with a hunt. That something is happening in the surroundings of the Baltic is explained by a unprecedented event this week. For years, the call “Ghost Flot” Russian (That opaque network of ship without clear flag or transparent record) has transported oil from Moscow through international waters, mocking the sanctions imposed by the West since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.

As we have counted beforethese ships, old and aged, operated on the margins of legality and without visible links with the Kremlin. But everything changed on May 13, when a Russian hunting Su-35 flyed out at low altitude The jaguaran oil company recently sanctioned by the United Kingdom, while Military Estonias authorities tried to inspect it in the Baltic. The incidentoccurred within the Estonian Air Space, has been interpreted in NATO as a clear climb: for the first time, Moscow used direct military media to protect a ship from its economic network informal.

A direct answer. I told it in exclusive the confidential through its sources with the Estonia government. The Baltic Republics (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) are preparing for the worst scenario. Despite being under the UTAN umbrella, the governments of these countries, aware of their geographical vulnerability and their limited military capacity against Russia, have opted for a Preventive strategy that combines physical deterrence, operational speed and political symbolism.

Estonia has announced the construction of More than 600 bunkers along its border with Russia, while Latvia and Lithuania plan Extend this line Common defensive towards Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kalinningrad. The initiative, already baptized as “the Baltic Wall”, represents one of the most significant maneuvers of territorial defense in Europe from the NATO Foundation in 1949.

Bunkers as a guarantee. According to Susan Lilleväli explainedUndersecretary of preparation for the defense of Estonia, the priority is “to defend every centimeter of the NATO territory”, not only as a deterrent gesture, but as a tangible response to the war reality observed in Ukraine. The bunkers, capable of hosting balls of up to ten soldiers In small spaces, they will be strategically available at key border points, combined With natural obstaclesantimovility systems and explosive artifact stores (although these will not be deployed in peacetime).

The goal It is double: Standing or slowing down a possible Russian offensive enough to allow the arrival of allied reinforcements, and make any enemy preparation visible that involves crossing the fortified line, which would allow a faster and faster reaction. Although they acknowledge that there is no impenetrable defense, the man are committed to significantly elevating the political, logistics and human cost of any aggression.

The Polish precedent. Plus: The defensive impulse does not arise from a vacuum. Poland, who also shares border with Belarus, already It has reconfigured part of your military device displacing troops From the west to the east in response to joint exercises between Belarusian military and mercenaries of the Wagner Group a few kilometers from its territory. And Finland is preparing with the United States.

This redistribution occurred in a matter of hoursand evidences the new permanent alert state that runs through Eastern Europe. The governments of the region assume that the threshold of the unthinkable has fallen. If you want also, the notion that an invasion of a NATO member would be a suicidal act for Russia is now perceived as a Non -discharge risk. As I pointed Commander Kundla Tarmo, the mere fact of forcing the adversary to prepare to cross such a visible defense allows us to better anticipate their intentions.

Physical armor. Not just that. The “Baltic Wall” aims to be much more than a military infrastructure: a political project with deep Psychological draft. Carries the memory of Decades of Soviet occupationespecially in Estonia, where the red flag waves for half a century. They counted in the confidential That for many citizens, this measure represents a physical guarantee that this will not be repeated.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur has insisted that the Ukraine War has demonstrated That territorial preparation (in addition to weapons, ammunition and soldiers) is essential from the first border meter. “We want the population to feel safe,” He affirmedwhile stressing that everything will be “as soon as possible.”

Urgency and a principle. Thus, and although the technical execution of the project can face obstacles (such as the purchase of private land or the need for compensation) development It has already begun. In fact, there are already fences, electronic surveillance and patrols in much of the Estonia border, and the measures will remain active while the new line of defense is built.

In addition, the barrier also responds to acquired commitments by NATO at the Madrid Summit of 2022, where a new position based on an advanced defense and an advanced defense was adopted Disuase “through denial”. In other words, change is not only technical but doctrinal: it is no longer about responding to the attack, but to prevent it from the beginning. To do this, the lessons learned in Ukraine are combined with a long -term strategic vision.

A decision where a phrase that already seems regional slogan resonates: “Better to prevent, to cure.”

Image | Armija Latvijas

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