3 NATO member countries to build BUNKERS along their border with Russia

Three member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have announced plans to build bunkers along their border with Russia amid growing fears of World War III.

The three nations – Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia – agreed to the decision as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, according to the Sun. The Baltic trio will construct an “extensive network of fortifications” along the borders with Russia to deter Moscow from invading their countries. The project is estimated to cost around £51.2million ($64.4 million).

The construction will begin in Estonia, with its government planning some 600 bunkers grouped around the border crossing points of Narva in the north and Voru in the south, Newsweek revealed in a report. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have long been considered the most likely targets for Russian President Vladimir Putin should he look to attack NATO countries – a claim he promptly denied. (Related: WWIII looms: Russia warns West of catastrophic consequences if their already strained relations further deteriorate.)

Susan Lillevali of the Estonian Ministry of Defense (EVK) explained that the overall intention of the bunkers is to ensure readiness “to fight the enemy from the first meter and first hour.” She added: “These installations serve, first, the purpose of avoiding military conflict in our region, as they could potentially change the enemy’s calculus.”

“Counter-mobility and fortification measures have played a significant role in wars in our region in history, for example in Finland. As the war in Ukraine has demonstrated they are perfectly valid also in this century. The war in Ukraine has shown that taking back already conquered territories is extremely difficult and comes at great cost of human lives, time and material resources.”

The Baltic nations’ bunkers are part of readiness measures the entire continent has been engaged in for some time now. Aside from bolstering defense, Europe has also been warned to ramp up weapons stocks to “wartime levels” in anticipation of a potential Russian attack.

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