Installation of Baltic Defense Line bunkers delayed for a year in Estonia
The installation of bunkers along Estonia's border as part of the Baltic Defense Line has been delayed by nearly a year and will now be completed by late 2027.
In early 2024, the Estonian Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense announced a plan to install 600 bunkers in areas near the country's border, with construction initially scheduled to begin at the start of the year. Before installation could begin, however, agreements had to be reached with landowners, as much of the planned defense zone is located on private property.
Kadi-Kai Kollo, head of infrastructure at the Center for Defense Investments, told ERR that while expectations for rapid implementation were high, developing the bunkers took longer than anticipated.
"Safety always comes first, along with achieving the best possible result — one we're satisfied with and that meets the Defense Forces' needs. I believe the extra time we spent on design has paid off in the end," Kollo said.
"It's also extremely important to carefully choose the locations of both the bunkers and the trenches to ensure they support the Defense Forces' broader defense plans and fit the landscape as well as possible — so that the terrain becomes an asset. It's better to make well-considered decisions than to rush," she added.
Kollo noted that reaching agreements with landowners has not been difficult.
"I wouldn't say we've run into any major obstacles. Quite the opposite," she said.
"For the first 28 bunkers, agreements are already in place. For the rest, we're reaching out to landowners step by step. Once we engage with private owners, we need to be absolutely certain of the bunker's exact location — we're not going to negotiate based on a 'maybe,'" Kollo said.
According to Kollo, the Baltic Defense Line project consists of several components, one of which includes barrier systems like "dragon's teeth" and metal obstacles. These have already been ordered, delivered and placed in storage areas.
She added that multiple bunker prototypes have been tested and two standardized designs were developed. For now, only one of those will be used.
"We're going with one design for now. The two options are a monolithic version and a bunker assembled from panels. At this stage, we're ordering the panel-based ones because they're easier to transport and install. But the installation process will give us important insights on how to best organize future deployments, so that when we begin rolling out the full number of bunkers, we're more experienced and can make better orders," she said.
Kollo confirmed that the first bunkers have been ordered and delivered to pre-storage locations.
The goal remains to install about 600 bunkers. "We're preparing the procurement so that we can announce it this year and allow all interested parties to submit bids," Kollo said.
Speaking about installation, she said the first contracts have already been signed and five bunkers are expected to be placed in the ground by December.
"We're starting small, because this is the first time we've done a project like this and we want to gain experience from the initial installations. We want to see how the process works and whether the conditions set in the procurement yield the desired results. These early installations should tell us a lot about whether our current solution is working," Kollo explained.
Lt. Col. Ainar Afanasjev, commander of the Defense Forces' engineer battalion, told ERR the bunkers are primarily intended to protect personnel from direct hits by 152mm artillery shells, which are commonly used by the Russian Federation's armed forces.
"In the case of Shahed-131/136 ['Geran'] drones, which may carry 40–50 kilograms of explosives, protection depends on the angle of impact. However, the bunkers are not designed to withstand direct hits from glide bombs," Afanasjev said.
According to Kollo, the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
The principles behind the Baltic Defense Line were agreed upon in January 2024 at a meeting of the Baltic defense ministers in Riga.
At the time, Kaido Tiitus, advisor to the undersecretary for defense readiness at the Ministry of Defense, told ERR that Estonia had been working on the defense structures since the second half of 2023, following discussions among the Baltic states' defense ministers. The initial estimated cost of the fortifications is up to €60 million.
The need for the Baltic Defense Line also stems from NATO's 2022 Madrid summit decision to defend allied territory from the very first meter.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
