Baltic States Ramp Up Border Fortifications Amid Rising Drone Incidents and Mutual Accusations

Workers are digging anti-tank ditches, pouring concrete bunkers and erecting rows of dragon's teeth along the forests and marshlands separating Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from Russia and Belarus. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered the construction surge.

Defence budgets have risen sharply, military exercises have intensified and new fortifications have appeared across the three countries.

In mid-May 2026, two drone incidents occurred within 48 hours. A Romanian NATO fighter jet was scrambled in response to one incursion. Lithuania issued a public alert urging residents and parliament members to seek shelter during the second.

Russia claimed Ukraine planned to launch military drones from Latvia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia's military was preparing an "appropriate" response. Latvia dismissed the claims as false.

The ruling coalition in Latvia collapsed after an argument over the government's handling of the stray drones. Then-Prime Minister Evika Silina dismissed Defence Minister Andris Spruds before resigning herself. 8-kilometre border with Belarus and a 274-kilometre border with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave.

Kaliningrad hosts nuclear-capable Iskander missile systems. The Suwalki Gap, a 65-kilometre corridor between Poland and Lithuania, is viewed as NATO's most vulnerable chokepoint. In October 2025, a local resident in Lithuania reported loud explosions, sounds of military drills at night and severe mobile signal interference.

Thousands of volunteers have conducted military training in cordoned-off villages across Kaunas County, with anti-drone warfare the focus of most exercises. Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said recent drone incidents fuel worries about the future.