Landmines, ‘dragon’s teeth,’ and now the deployment of a permanent German tank brigade in Lithuania may be enough to deter Russia from launching an invasion into the Suwalki Gap.
The “aitvaras” is a nature spirit in Lithuanian mythology, a type of dragon that can bring either good or bad luck depending on the circumstances. But Lithuania isn’t hoping for good luck when it comes to its border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Along that strip of land, it is employing literal, rather than mythological, “dragon’s teeth”—a set of concrete blocks that are specially designed to stop tanks.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that it had completed the installation of the concrete fortifications as part of the so-called “Baltic Defense Line,” the planned string of militarized positions throughout Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. All three nations are members of NATO, and they also share a border with either Russia or Russian client state Belarus.
The construction of the border fortifications began after Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Roughly one year ago, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense shared images of its “counter-mobility measures” on social media, including the placement of “mines, hedgehogs, [and] dragon’s teeth.”
“We are starting from the tactical level—specific obstacles on the border—and later we will combine the entire engineering plan into one conceptual system,” said Raimundas Vaiksnoras, the commander of the Lithuanian army. “This is a precautionary step aimed to ensure more effective defense.”
Lithuania Isn’t Taking Any Chances with Russia
Vilnius has attempted to fortify positions to counter any threat of a ground-based invasion through the Suwalki Gap, a narrow 70-kilometer stretch of flat terrain that for years has been dubbed “NATO’s Achilles Heel.”
The gap runs along the border between Lithuania and Poland, and separates Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, located on the Baltic Sea, from Belarus. In the event of a Russia-NATO war, NATO defense planners presume that one of Russia’s first actions would be to march into the gap, connecting Russia with Kaliningrad and cutting off the Baltic states from the rest of NATO. Past studies have warned that the area could be overrun in just days.
Any invasion would likely trigger NATO’s Article 5 mutual defense provision. Still, there are concerns that the NATO leadership and its members might opt not to risk World War III and nuclear Armageddon to defend the corridor. If Russia invaded and conquered the Baltic states before NATO was prepared to contest them, there is a chance that the Kremlin could present the outcome to the world as a fait accompli, urging Western states to ignore Article 5 in order to avoid a world war. Those concerns have only increased as the United States, which would inevitably play a leading role in any such conflict, has pivoted to an isolationist position under the second Trump administration.
Lithuania isn’t taking chances, and has opted to bolster its own defenses. This has included fortifying now-abandoned roads that once connected the country to Russia, while obstacles have been placed at the “unused border crossings with Belarus,” according to a report from Euro News. The inactive border crossings at Sumskas, Lavoriski, Raigardas, and Latezeris to Belarus, and the Romaniskes crossing with Kaliningrad, have been fortified, and dragon’s teeth have been placed along the border with the Russian exclave.
Latvia, located to the north of Lithuania, has also announced that it will install anti-tank obstacles along its border with Russia.
The effectiveness of dragon’s teeth has been hotly debated since World War II, when they were first employed along Germany’s Siegfried Line. Made of solid concrete, the defenses are effective at slowing the movement of vehicles, including tanks. However, they are no silver bullet to invasion; they can be lifted, towed, or simply pushed out of the way depending on how strongly they are anchored to the ground.
The Baltic States Have More Explosive Countermeasures, Too
The barriers can also provide cover to advancing enemy infantry, and are only truly effective as part of a broader defensive line.
The dragon’s teeth will therefore be further enhanced when used alongside anti-tank and even anti-personnel mines. Such an outcome is increasingly likely, as the three Baltic states, along with Poland, announced earlier this year that they were collectively withdrawing from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the use of landmines.
“Since the ratification of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, AKA the Ottawa Convention, the security situation in our region has fundamentally deteriorated. Military threats to NATO Member States bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased,” the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland announced in a joint statement.
Though most European nations remain parties to the Ottawa Convention, Russia has never signed the treaty. Neither has the United States.
Landmines, ‘dragon’s teeth,’ and now the deployment of a permanent German tank brigade in Lithuania may be enough to deter Russia from launching an invasion into the Suwalki Gap. However, they also ensure that if the Kremlin does invade, it can be held for longer than just a few days—giving Western European nations a longer period in which to organize a proper defense.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Shutterstock / Drop of Light.
