Lithuania plans to mine its border with Russia and Belarus
Photo: Dovilė Šakalienė, Head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense (lrytas.lt)
Lithuania plans to mine its border with Russia and Belarus, a step considered after statements from Poland, according to Lithuania's Ministry of Defense.
Dovilė Šakalienė, Head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense, explained that she, along with the defense ministers of Poland and Finland, discussed the integration of the "Eastern Shield" and the Baltic Defense Line. They also addressed Finland's participation in developing a unified plan to strengthen border security.
The Ministry of Defense of Lithuania noted that the country remains a strong and reliable partner in transatlantic, European, and regional formats. Lithuania is actively promoting multilateral solutions on key defense policy issues.
According to the ministry, Šakalienė held bilateral meetings with defense ministers from 24 countries over the past three months and participated in more than 10 multilateral forums.
"During such meetings, a discussion was initiated on the renewal and expansion of the counter mobility concept — following the example of Poland, the North-Eastern flank wall can be fortified with several layers of fortifications, including, but not limited to, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines — the regional partners intend to seek EU funding to achieve this goal," the Ministry of Defense added.
At the same time, Lithuania's Ministry of Defense reported that internal institutions are also being mobilized. An agreement was signed with the Ministry of Internal Affairs to develop shelter infrastructure and enhance the readiness of civil protection and healthcare systems. The agreement also includes conducting joint tactical-level training for internal security forces and strengthening national defense structures.
Earlier, Poland's Deputy Minister of Defense, Paweł Bejda, revealed that Poland might deploy anti-personnel mines along its borders with Russia and Belarus as part of the "Eastern Shield" project.
Additionally, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that Poland is considering withdrawing from the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines and the Dublin Regulation on cluster munitions.
Recently, the defense ministers of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia declared their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty due to the military threat posed by Russia.
