Why Lithuania Boosts Defense Spending, Fortifying the Russian Border

“Our country is doing a lot of things,” Nausėda added. “In the coming years, we will increase our spending, probably to 5% of GDP, because we realize that first of all we have to help ourselves and then we can count on our partners and we count on our partners a lot.” 

The country is also approaching 2025 with several decisions looming. Lithuania is building comprehensive defensive lines in 27 key locations bordering Russia and Belarus. The small Baltic country and NATO member is preparing for a worst-case scenario—Russian invasion.

At the start of 2024, Lithuania began strengthening its border defenses with Russia, focusing on Kaliningrad—a Russian enclave bordered by Lithuania, Poland, and the Baltic Sea. 

Separated from the Russian mainland, Kaliningrad is a heavily militarized outpost, housing advanced weaponry and serving as a potential staging ground for Russian military operations in Europe, positioning Lithuania as a critical frontline defender.

Lithuania has adopted a multi-layered defense strategy to slow a potential invasion, deploying dragon’s teeth (anti-tank barriers), tank traps, and landmines, all integrated with artillery and missile systems to fortify key border points.

These measures are part of a broader strategy to create obstacles capable of delaying advancing forces, buying critical time for a coordinated NATO response, and strengthening the Baltic region against Russian aggression, reported the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI).

Lithuania plans to increase its defense budget to 4% of GDP, making it the second-largest defense spender by percentage of GDP in NATO, second only to Poland, said Lithuanian public radio and television (LRT).

Lithuania plans to fortify 27 key sites along its border with Kaliningrad and Belarus, having already completed work on the strategically significant Queen Louise and Panemunė bridges. 

These crossings, once vital trade links, are now heavily militarized and potentially rigged for demolition to prevent Russian forces from advancing deeper into Lithuanian territory. This extensive border defense network includes:

• Dragon’s Teeth: Concrete pyramids designed to block or slow tanks.

• Iron Beams: Anchored along riverbanks to obstruct crossings.

• Barbed Wire: To hinder infantry movement.

• Hidden Landmines and Anti-Vehicle Traps: Strategically placed along access routes.

Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas has emphasized the integration of physical barriers with firepower, stating, “Fortification continues as planned. When you stop the enemy, he will be destroyed.”

Right at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Lithuania enforced EU sanctions blocking the transit of goods like steel and coal to Kaliningrad, triggering outrage in Moscow. Russian media churned out fearmongering headlines, warning of retaliation and painting Lithuania as the aggressor. 

In response, a wave of cyberattacks by the hacking group Killnet crippled Lithuanian government websites, banks, and public services with relentless DDoS assaults. Tensions have been growing between the two countries ever since.

NATO’s strategic importance

Lithuania’s border reinforcements align with the broader Baltic Defense Line concept, which envisions the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia as a major speed bump against potential Russian incursions into Europe. 

This strategy aims to transform the region into a stronghold that can delay aggression until NATO can fully mobilize. Recent Lithuanian measures reflect this philosophy, bolstered by NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroups stationed in the country.

The Kaliningrad region is a vital asset for Russia, housing the Baltic Fleet and advanced weaponry, including Iskander missile systems capable of carrying nuclear warheads. 

Kaliningrad, formerly Königsberg, was ceded by the Germans to the Soviet Union in 1945 at the Potsdam Conference as part of post-war reparations. Once a part of East Prussia, it became a strategic Soviet outpost, heavily militarized and isolated from Russia after the USSR's collapse.

Kaliningrad and Belarus create a narrow gap between NATO countries Lithuania and Poland, known as the Suwałki Gap. This 60-mile corridor is NATO’s only land connection to the Baltic states, making it a crucial yet vulnerable chokepoint. 

Its strategic importance stems from its role as the primary route for reinforcements to reach Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in the event of Russian aggression.

Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, former US Army Europe commander, described the Suwałki Gap as a narrow and precarious stretch of land linking Poland and Lithuania, one that Russia would undoubtedly eye in any aggression. Its capture would sever the Baltic states from the rest of NATO, making the corridor into the alliance’s Achilles’ heel.

A history of Soviet resistance

Lithuania has a history of resistance to Soviet occupation, which it never recognized itself as a part of. After being forcibly annexed under the terms of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact during World War II, Lithuania rejected the Soviet narrative that it had willingly joined the USSR. 

On July 23, 1940, Acting US Secretary of State Sumner Welles reinforced this stance, condemning the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states and refusing to recognize Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia as Soviet territory.

For decades, Lithuanians considered themselves under occupation, a belief that fueled their fight for independence. Declaring independence in 1990, the country endured economic blockades and military pressure from Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev before finally securing its sovereignty in 1991.

Lithuania’s fortified borders are informed by a complicated struggle for independence, lessons learned from Soviet occupation, and decades of resistance. The invasion of Ukraine, with its shared history of oppression, serves as a stark reminder of the stakes, driving Lithuania’s determination to prepare for the worst.