The 3 countries preparing for Putin invasion as soon as Ukraine war ends

By Conor Wilson, News Reporter

The country is one of several with legitimate fears of invasion (Image: Getty)

A Baltic state on the border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad has set out plans to defend itself from invasion. Lithuania, a former Soviet Republic, which shares a border with Belarus and the small Russian territory, has developed a 30-mile-deep defensive plan including minefields and bridge primed with demolitions to protect itself in the event of invasion.

Lithuania, along with neighbours Latvia and Estonia, are fortifying their borders with Russia and its allies as fears mount that the United States could be orchestrating a peace deal on favourable terms to the Kremlin. It is hoped that the work will deter Russia from any future invasion and little action has been taken by the three countries to hide construction of the line. Once complete, the “Baltic defence line” will stretch across the three countries from Kaliningrad in the west to the mouth of the River Narva in the east.

The line would help defend 660 miles of border with Russia (Image: Getty)

Masterminds behind the line’s creation have insisted that the plan is not to necessarily build a barrier to prevent an invasion, but to “canalise” enemy troops in the event of one by slowing down their advance and forcing enemy troops into areas that are easier for a defending force to engage.

Consisting of around 1,000 concrete bunkers, anti-tank ditches and logistical supply lines, the line aims to better prevent the three countries, with a 600-mile border with Russia from suffering a similar fate to that of Ukraine.

But some fear that the 10-year project could come too late, with the Russian bear on the march westwards and confident of consolidating gains within Ukraine’s sovereign territory.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, who served as Lithuania’s foreign minister until November, told the Telegraph: “Putin is not going to let us wait those 10 years.

“The most dangerous time for the Baltics will be immediately after a ceasefire in Ukraine.”

Lithuania is one of several former Soviet republics to fear a Russian invasion (Image: Getty)

The project is forecasted to cost each country around £60 million, a significant proportion of their defence budget but a drop in the ocean compared to the vast sums required to fight a prolonged conflict against a superior-sized force.

Within the first few months of Putin’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Army seized a greater around 54,000 miles of territory, double the size of Lithuania, adding weight to fears that the country would be less able to defend itself than Kyiv was.

Mr Landsbergis added: “We lack the strategic depth. Russians could move through the whole country in hours, if not days. This is why we defend from the first inch.

“How much are you doing yourself before you ask for our help – when will you start digging trenches and mining your border?”