Latvia Digs Anti-Tank Trenches, Installs Dragon's Teeth Along Its Border With Russia

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) This was reported by LSM, according to Ukrinform.

A total of 89 kilometers of anti-tank trenches are planned. So far, four kilometers have been completed.

According to Latvian Television, the first 27 kilometers are expected to be completed by next spring.

Massive concrete obstacles, known as dragon's teeth, are being installed in three rows along the border. Each structure weighs 1.5 tonnes and stands slightly more than one meter tall. An anti-tank trench will subsequently be dug alongside them.

In the border area of Balvi Municipality, National Guard troops are completing the deployment of defensive infrastructure. Anti-tank trenches more than five meters wide have already been dug there. Dragon's teeth will be added later.

The report notes that fortifications will not be installed along the entire length of Latvia's borders with Russia and Belarus, which together extend for more than 450 kilometers. In some areas, natural obstacles such as swamps, lakes, and dense forests provide protection. Artificial fortifications are being built in locations where heavy military equipment would find it easiest to advance.

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“These obstacles are positioned at such a distance that the enemy cannot cross them with their vehicles. These holes are designed to link several 'dragon's teeth' together, so that the enemy would be unable to pull them out individually,” explained Edgar Briedis, a staff sergeant with the engineering company of the 2nd Vidzeme Brigade of the National Guard.

According to him, combining different types of engineering obstacles will force the enemy to use various types of military equipment to overcome them.

“Take the anti-tank trench, for example – to cross it, it must be filled in or combat bridges must be used. To clear the dragon's teeth, on the other hand, different systems are required,” the military engineer added.

To date, four kilometers of anti-tank trenches have been dug and five kilometers of dragon's teeth installed along Latvia's eastern border. The National Guard says that weather conditions will not halt the work, which will continue even during the winter.

Although the first defensive structures are already visible on the ground, most of the construction work is still ahead. A total of €303 million has reportedly been allocated for border fortifications through 2029. The funding is intended not only for digging trenches and installing dragon's teeth but also for developing other defensive systems.

As previously reported, in early October the Latvian parliament adopted a law establishing counter-mobility infrastructure, designed to facilitate the construction of the Baltic Defense Line along the eastern border.

Illustrative photo: Ukrainian Armed Forces Joint Forces Operation

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