Estonia has begun installing the first concrete bunkers along the border with Russia in the southeast of the country. According to Krismara Rozina, a representative of the Estonian Center for Defense Investment, as of this week seven shelters are ready to be installed.
By the end of the year, authorities plan to deploy 28 bunkers. This will form the first line in a network of 600 shelters being created to strengthen the eastern flank of the European Union and NATO.
Plans and Context for Building Shelters
Shelters, covering about 35 square meters, are designed to withstand the impact of 152 mm artillery shells. They are part of a multilayer defense system aimed at preventing a possible invasion from Russia.
According to Rozin, stocks of barbed wire and dragon’s teeth-type barriers have already been prepared and are stored on pre-prepared sites for use if needed.
The final timelines for constructing the bunkers remain undefined for now, Rozin noted. The structures will be deployed in Setomaa Municipality and in southeastern Estonia, with 27 located on state or municipal land and one on private land.
Currently [the bunkers] are in the process of deployment, but not yet fully ready
– Center
Within the Baltic defense line, the new network of shelters is being created with the participation of Lithuania and Latvia. Tallinn has allocated 60 million euros to implement its portion of the project, of which about 30 million has been spent to date. A tender to erect the remaining 572 bunkers is planned to be held by the end of the year.
It is expected that these shelters will strengthen the defense of NATO and the EU’s eastern flank, as well as bolster regional cooperation on border security and strategic infrastructure.