VILNIUS, Lithuania — The Lithuanian government will invest over €1 billion ($1.1 billion) over the next ten years to fortify its border protections near Belarus and Russia, with plans to purchase and install new antitank mines.
The Ministry of Defense announced the decision on May 5, stressing the mines’ intended effect of restricting the movements of invading forces.
“Counter-mobility measures are an important part of our national defense concept. … In the event of aggression, they would allow blocking and slowing down the actions of hostile states against Lithuania,” a ministry statement noted.
Over €800 million of the planned investment will be allocated to purchasing antitank mines and related systems.
The rest of the funds are lined up to prioritize the acquisition of electronic-warfare and counter-drone weapons, strengthening surveillance and early-warning systems, and increasing the mine-clearance capabilities of the Lithuanian military.
In parallel, Vilnius has also partnered with other Baltic nations, Estonia and Latvia, to implement the Baltic Defense Line project, seeking to bolster NATO’s eastern border to prevent possible adversary advances.
“Intensive work is underway to identify the geographical points where the countries’ engineering barriers need to converge to ensure the integrity of the Baltic Defense Lines,” the ministry statement added.
The initiatives come shortly after the government here, alongside with Latvia, Poland and Estonia, announced it would leave the Ottawa Convention, which forbids the use and stockpiling of anti-personnel landmines.
Last month, Latvia‘s Parliament officially voted to exit the international treaty ban, joining Finland, which announced its intention to withdraw on April 1. Finnish and Latvian officials have argued that their countries must reassess their defense strategies to respond more effectively to potential military threats.
The embrace of mines has sparked concerns among international human rights groups who have warned that unexploded munitions pose risks to civilians for decades.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.
