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Latvia fortifies its eastern border / Builds anti-tank ditches and installs “dragon’s teeth”

Riana Gegiu

11 November 2026, 13:03

International

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Latvia is stepping up its defense measures along its eastern border as part of the Baltic Defense Line project, amid concerns over the security of NATO’s eastern flank. Authorities are building anti-tank ditches and installing concrete obstacles to slow or block the advance of potential military vehicles.

According to Latvian Television, the works reported on November 8, 2026, involve digging ditches along a total length of 89 kilometers. Nearly four kilometers have been excavated so far, while the first 27 kilometers are expected to be completed in the spring of next year.

Near the Balvi district, on the border with Russia, Latvia’s National Guard has already deployed concrete obstacles known as “dragon’s teeth.” They are arranged in three rows, with each element weighing approximately 1.5 tons and standing just over one meter high. An anti-tank ditch more than two meters deep is also planned in the same area.

Latvia’s border with Russia and Belarus stretches for more than 450 kilometers, but the fortifications will not cover the entire frontier. Swamps, lakes and dense forests already provide natural obstacles to the movement of military vehicles in certain sectors.

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Context: Latvia had previously strengthened border security and requested additional defense funding amid hybrid threats

In the preceding months, Latvian authorities intensified security measures along the border with Belarus following illegal entries and incidents considered hybrid provocations: masked and armed men entered the country, damaged an electrical panel, and stole surveillance cameras, while investigators linked the episodes to earlier attempts to smuggle migrants.

In the same context, Latvia discovered tunnels used for illegal migration from Belarus (including one camouflaged with moss, approximately 20 meters from the border) and announced that it had prevented thousands of crossing attempts in the first months of 2026. The authorities stated that Latvia had completed a 173 km fence and launched “Werewolf” operation to combat illegal migration, with additional support from Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland, as it faces a shortage of border guards.

Separately, Riga requested additional defense funding from the European Union (a request estimated at nearly half of its seven-year defense budget), arguing that the increased spending is also a result of the support provided to Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.