Latvia has begun installing “dragon’s teeth” anti-tank barriers in border areas near Russia on land previously seized from local residents as part of the country’s broader defense fortification program.
According to the report, the land was “expropriated for national defense purposes,” since construction of the so-called Baltic Defense Line is taking place directly along the border, including on privately owned property.
“The barriers, arranged in three rows roughly ten meters wide, are designed to prevent military vehicles from crossing the border. Each ‘dragon’s tooth’ weighs about one and a half tons. Military officials noted that the gaps between them are too narrow for military equipment to pass through,” the publication said.
Authorities also plan to construct anti-tank trenches along the border in the future.
According to LSM, Latvia is building the defensive line jointly with Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland. The project was launched around two years ago and is expected to be completed by 2028.