Strengthens the border against the Russian nuclear enclave • Paasikivi: “Have no desire to lose again”
Putin is clear: Russia is at war with the West. The invasion of Ukraine and harsh words about the former Soviet Union have led to a military buildup in neighboring countries that is unprecedented in modern times.
The enclave of Kaliningrad, where the Russian Baltic Fleet is based, is seen as Russia’s outpost towards the West – and the neighboring countries are now reinforcing the borders as best they can.
Lithuania has fortified another bridge over the Nemunas River on the route to the Russian enclave, the country’s Ministry of Defense writes on X on Wednesday – and it’s just the latest in a row.
A huge defense facility
Since July, several bridges have been reinforced with anti-tank barriers, trenches have been dug, barriers have been built and minefields have been laid on the border with Kaliningrad, which is only in Russian possession for one purpose.
– It is a defense facility. It’s everything from nuclear bunkers to ground units. And there must be proper preparations to take care of Kaliningrad militarily and to make sure that Russia cannot do anything from there in the event of a war, says Joakim Paasikivi, military expert.
Paasikivi explains that Lithuania, and the other Baltic countries, are now moving from a strategy of so-called “tripwire bandages” to creating a real military capability to defend the countries directly at the border.
Poland builds “Eastern shield”
At the same time, Poland – which also borders the enclave – is arming to an even greater extent than Lithuania. At the end of 2024, the construction of the “Eastern shield” line of defense will begin, and in total Poland will spend 4.2 percent of its GDP on defense.
According to Paasikivi, it is about “classic defense lines”.
– It is of the type you had during the coldest part of the Cold War with different types of obstacles and warning systems. This will not only be a military defense, but also an opportunity to deal with everything from cyber attacks to a militarized refugee wave, sabotage and, in the worst case, military attacks. It’s a sliding scale, he says.
– Poland takes this most seriously of all. They basically buy everything that is possible to buy, mainly from the US and South Korea. There are big bets on the Polish defense. They have no desire to lose again.
Kaliningrad is located between Poland and Lithuania.
Kaliningrad is located between Poland and Lithuania.
Realistic Russian threats
In Eastern Europe, it is clear that a war is going on – and the threat from Russia is ever-present. Joakim Paasikivi does not want to call what you feel “horror”, but “realism”.
– It is a high degree of realism when you have a nuclear power as a neighbor, which has attacked another neighbor, and which also talks almost daily in television propaganda that you have to beat the insidious Poles and that the Balts should not believe that they exist, he says and continues:
– It is a real threat, but right now the capability on the Russian side is not sufficient to do anything about this threat.
The military rearmament takes place from an extremely low level. The ambitions are great – that Europe should take care of its own defense and not rely on the US – and that can also mean a problem, explains the military expert.
– There are major security policy consequences if you fail. Maybe we will have to pay them in blood, but also that it worsens the relationship with the US if we scrap this, says Joakim Paasikivi.