Lithuania weighs mining border with Russia, Belarus after Poland’s security changes

Lithuania may lay mines along its northeastern border, signaling a shift toward harsher counter-mobility tactics as regional allies coordinate on deterrence.
lithuanian flag foreground gediminas castle tower vilnius unn
The Lithuanian flag in the foreground of the Gediminas Castle Tower in Vilnius. Photo via UNN.
Lithuania weighs mining border with Russia, Belarus after Poland’s security changes

Lithuanian Defense Ministry says the country is considering mining its border with Belarus and Russia. This decision has been regarded as a security measure after Poland announced the same plans under the Eastern Shield project.

Poland’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Paweł Beida, mentioned that Poland had “no other choice” than to mine its territory, as the situation on the Polish-Belarusian and Polish-Russian borders poses a threat to the country.

According to Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė, the plan to enhance border security was discussed during bilateral visits with the defense ministers of Poland and Finland.

“Lithuania remains a strong and reliable partner in transatlantic, European, and regional formats and actively promotes multilateral solutions to key defense policy issues,” said Šakalienė.

She also explained that during meetings with colleagues, a discussion was initiated regarding the updating and expansion of the concept of counter-mobility—based on the Polish example, the northeastern flanking barrier could be reinforced with several layers of fortifications, including, but not limited to, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines.

She added that “regional partners intend to seek EU funding to achieve this goal.

Earlier, Lithuania expressed its willingness to consider amending the Constitution if allies decide to deploy nuclear weapons or their components in the country, Delfi reported.

According to the Lithuanian defense minister, “there are possibilities” to amend Article 137 of Lithuania’s Constitution, which currently prohibits the placement of weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases on the country’s territory.

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