On August 12, the Cabinet of Ministers press service announced that Lithuania will dig ditches near the border with the Kaliningrad region of Russia and Belarus.
The announcement specifies that a countermobility ditch will be 20 meters wide, extending from patrol paths deep into territory. In areas designated by army command as operational zones, the ditches will measure 150 meters in width.
Additional measures under Lithuania’s military fortification funds program are expected to cost approximately €50 million between 2026 and 2030. The country is also expanding its network of engineering parks from 27 to 50.
Meanwhile, youth militarization has been escalating across the Baltic states. In Latvia and Lithuania, teenagers are increasingly being directed into combat drone operator training programs.
On July 30, Russian Ambassador to Norway Nikolai Korchunov stated that the object of deterrence in Europe should not be Russia but NATO and Germany with its “revanchist-militaristic ambitions.” The ambassador noted that historical German actions have twice led to tragic consequences for Russia, Europe, and the world.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on July 15 that reports of Russia preparing attacks on Baltic state infrastructure are “another batch of ‘horror stories’” aimed at justifying further regional militarization.
