Estonia to Dig 40-Kilometer Anti-Tank Ditch on the Border With Russia

Due to security threats, Estonia will dig a 40-kilometer-long anti-tank ditch on the border with Russia.

ERR reported on this.

The construction of large border defenses has already started on the country’s eastern border.

As part of this work, a 40-kilometer-long anti-tank ditch is planned to be dug along the Estonian-Russian border over the next two years.

The engineering arrangement is part of the planned system of the Baltic Defense Zone in Estonia.

“Where there are swampy areas, there is no need for them, because you can’t get there with equipment. By the end of 2027, we should have more than 40 kilometers of anti-tank ditches ready,” Lieutenant Colonel Ainar Afanasyev, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, stated.

He added that there should also be nearly 600 bunkers dug into the ground.

The plan is to create a protective zone along the border with Russia, “about 100 kilometers long and about 40 kilometers wide from the land border.”

Armin Siilivask, project manager of the procurement department of the Estonian Defense Investment Center (RKIK), noted that this year, they plan to create two resistance points: one in the northeastern part of the country and the other in the southeastern part, which will include up to 14 bunkers.

“This year, we also plan to set up warehouses. Currently, all the materials for the barriers are in pre-storage areas, but this year we will move them to the warehouses so that they are as close to the resistance points as possible,” Siilivask mentioned.

Estonia has stepped up its measures to strengthen national security and defense by initiating the construction of the Baltic Defense Line on the country’s southeastern border with Russia.

The anti-tank ditches are being built in accordance with the analysis of the needs of the country’s defense forces. In peacetime, they will serve as part of the border infrastructure, increasing the effectiveness of border protection.