The move was announced by the spokesman for the Estonian military on Thursday, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s polskieradio24.pl website reported.
The press officer told the media: “Estonia’s armed forces have begun to deploy barriers and obstacles in various parts of the country, including concrete anti-tank obstacles, to be swiftly set up at the most crucial points in the event of an invasion.”
Launched on Wednesday, the work is expected to be completed by June, amid Russia’s continuing invasion of Ukraine, polskieradio24.pl reported.
“The barriers are being deployed in places where they will cause the least disruption to everyday life, but where they can be swiftly put to use if necessary,” officials said. “The equipment is being shipped by the armed forces and the military’s civilian partners."
Making potential attack on Estonia ‘as difficult as possible’
Meanwhile, Lt Col. Ainar Afanasjev, Chief Engineer of the Estonian Defence Force, told reporters: “The distribution of barrier equipment is a pre-planned operation … The necessary elements have been bought in sufficient quantity and can be transferred to key points.”
He added, as quoted by polskieradio24.pl: “Currently there is no direct military threat against Estonia and the Defence Force is determined to do everything to ensure that things stay that way."
Afanasjev also said that “the Defence Force seeks to protect Estonia on its own terms, and so it is taking various preventive measures to seize the initiative and make a potential attack as difficult as possible,” polskieradio24.pl reported.
Thursday is day 379 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: polskieradio24.pl, PAP, newsweek.com