Lithuania may become the next target of Russia, urgently announcing the construction of three lines of defense to buy time for NATO's intervention
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced that it will build a three-line defense system with multiple layers along the border to deal with potential military threats.
The total length of the plan is about 50 kilometers, and anti-tank ditches, minefields, fortifications, and trenches will be set up in areas near the border, while bridges will be pre-set for blasting, drainage ditches, obstacles, and felled trees to block roads in the depth area.
It is said that this is to respond to recent high-intensity military exercises and troop mobilizations by Russia and Belarus on the border, so Lithuania has to systematize and deepen its defense construction system, in order to delay the enemy's advance in the worst case, and win time for NATO's response.
The "West-2025" military exercise between Russia and Belarus has not started yet. The exercise content includes defensive items, and also adds nuclear strike contingency plans and penetration drills of the Olesnitsk hypersonic missile. Although Belarus claims that the number of participating troops is about 13,000, NATO estimates that the actual number may exceed 100,000, even reaching 150,000.
This gap between official statements and the real scale makes Lithuania very nervous, especially worrying that the exercise might turn into a real war, repeating the situation where Ukraine was suddenly attacked before.
The geopolitical environment also makes Lithuania feel insecure.
It is located west of the Russian Kaliningrad exclave, east of Belarus, and is sandwiched between the critical Suwalki Corridor, a narrow passage that is the only land route connecting Poland with the three Baltic states.
If Russia and Belarus surround it from both sides, Lithuania and its allies could be cut off instantly.
Considering that Russia has rich experience on the Ukrainian battlefield, and keeps portraying the NATO eastern wing as an aggressor, Lithuania has no choice but to suspect that it may become the next target of attack.
In this context, the construction of three lines of defense by Lithuania is also a reminder to its allies: something is not right here, won't it be another case where they don't leave after the exercise and suddenly hit me?
Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1840593963304010/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.