Ministry: Lithuania plans to mine borders with Russia, Belarus for enhanced security

The Lithuanian Defence Ministry has said that Lithuania is preparing to mine its border with Russia and Belarus, a decision influenced by ongoing discussions with neighbouring countries.

Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė explained that she and the defence ministers of Poland and Finland have been working on integrating the "Eastern Shield" and the Baltic Defense Line to strengthen regional security, Caliber.Az reports via Ukrainian media.

They also discussed Finland’s involvement in developing a unified strategy to bolster border protection across the region. The Lithuanian Defence Ministry emphasised that Lithuania remains a reliable and strong partner in transatlantic, European, and regional defence frameworks. The country is committed to advancing multilateral approaches to address key defence policy challenges.

Over the past three months, Šakalienė has participated in over 10 multilateral forums and held bilateral talks with defence ministers from 24 countries. "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 Defence reported. 

In addition to these developments, Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence announced that the country is also mobilising internal institutions. A new agreement with the Ministry of Internal Affairs will focus on developing shelter infrastructure and enhancing civil protection and healthcare system readiness. The agreement will also involve joint tactical-level training for internal security forces and the strengthening of national defense capabilities. 

Earlier, Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Paweł Bejda, revealed that Poland may deploy anti-personnel mines along its borders with Russia and Belarus as part of its "Eastern Shield" initiative. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk further stated that the country is considering withdrawing from the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines and the Dublin Regulation on cluster munitions.

By Naila Huseynova