With the joint Russian-Belarusian Zapad military exercises approaching, the Lithuanian army and border guards are preparing for all possible scenarios. It becomes clear when visiting towns in the Vilnius district near the border with Belarus, Indrė Naureckaitė states in lrytas.lt.
A couple of years ago, the Lavoriškis border control point with Belarus, which had recorded one of the most significant passenger flows, was now jokingly referred to by residents as Chernobyl – it had been closed the previous year, and now the only sign of life was when grass cutters visited. On the Lithuanian side, there is complete silence, but on the other side of the metal fence, the Belarusian houses are so close that you can hear the residents shushing their dogs in their yards.
The nature of the work of the border guards at this checkpoint has also changed. Although Lithuanian officials still ensure the protection of the “green border” here, the primary battle is currently being fought against ever-new and creative methods of smuggling – it is joked that sometimes contraband cigarettes land almost directly at the feet of residents.
Last week, Lithuanian soldiers installed barriers, known as “Dragon’s Teeth,” on this and four other disused roads leading to Belarus and Russia. These barriers consist of several dozen pyramid-shaped reinforced concrete obstacles designed to stop enemy tanks and armoured vehicles.
However, it is not surprising that most residents of Lavoriškis are unaware of the new measures – since these border control points have been closed, it is no longer as easy for curious people to reach the border.
Surprisingly, many people living near the border are unaware of the upcoming Zapad exercises and the simultaneous exercises organised by the Lithuanian army. However, sometimes they find out in unexpected ways – when Lithuanian soldiers with air defence weapons “move in” to nearby fields, as happened to several residents of the Vilnius district.
It was a shock
The border control points in Lavoriškis, as well as those in Šumskas, Raigardas, Latežeris, and Romaniškiai, were closed last year—the government at the time sought to control flows, prevent smuggling, and ensure international sanctions.
Some of the border guards who worked at the closed checkpoints moved to other checkpoints, while others transferred to the police, for example. However, there is still no shortage of work for border guards – this is “taken care of” by increasingly inventive and creative smugglers across the border.
Border guards smile as they recall how, before the physical barrier was erected, smugglers used to run across the border carrying four boxes of cigarettes, each containing 50 cartons with 10 packs each.
This was followed by smuggling with drones, but smugglers quickly came up with more profitable alternatives – since such drones cost around a thousand euros, cigarettes are now being flown into Lithuania in weather balloons, which can cost less than EUR 50.
These balloons with contraband cargo land everywhere – although residents of border towns find such “parcels” quite often, they are also blown by the wind to the centre of Vilnius.
When the Lavoriškis border control point was still operational, residents would also travel to Belarus to purchase cheaper cigarettes and fuel, with queues stretching from the border point to the town centre.
Now, there are only a few cars in the entire town. So, it is perhaps not surprising that a significant portion of the residents were unaware of the new development at the border – “Dragon’s Teeth” – as the checkpoint is closed and there is no access road to it.
“Plans have been made, and both the army and the state are preparing for the Zapad exercises – that’s what these counter-mobility measures are for and why they have been put in place,” said Andrius Mangevičius, Commander of the Jurgis Kybartas border guard post.
However, there is no concern among residents about the upcoming Russian and Belarusian exercises – the commander of the VSAT border guard post was surprised that many of them are not even aware that such exercises are scheduled to take place.
“I also found it strange when talking to the locals, because it seems that all the media are emphasising this, but perhaps if you are not interested in war or politics, if you have other concerns, you may not be aware of it. Maybe they don’t watch Lithuanian news.
The younger ones, who work at our border guard station, know about it, as do their children, relatives, and parents, but some elderly people only go to the store to buy the essentials and then go home,” he said.
However, border guards are preparing for everything – plans and reinforcements have been drawn up, and agreements have been signed with the military.
On the other hand, some residents of border towns only learned about the upcoming Zapad exercises and Lithuania’s preparations for them when they encountered them directly – for example, when Lithuanian soldiers set up tents and air defence weapons in their fields.
In mid-August, Lithuania closed its airspace along part of its border with Belarus, establishing restricted zones where flights are only permitted with the permission of the Lithuanian army commander. This restriction will remain in place until at least October 1.
Mark Pilat, the Head of the Lavoriškis district, also stated that he had not received any questions from residents about the upcoming Zapad exercises. However, he believes that this will change when residents see the equipment used by Lithuanian soldiers during training, which may lead to misunderstandings.
This is what happened when a group of soldiers “settled” on a plot of land belonging to the mayor’s parents.
“My parents came to the fields and saw, oh my God, what’s going on here? Everyone was shocked. The villagers called my parents, asking what was going on. Who is there in your fields? My parents said that everything was fine, so let them live there. We laughed, and that was it,” said Pilat.
In general, according to him, the residents of border towns are used to everything. First of all, they are used to migrants; they have adapted to the closure of border control points, and they viewed both situations very differently.
“When we had quite a lot of refugees, some people were afraid, and some were happy because they all had a lot of money. If a family fed them, they would thank them with euros. It was business. It’s like with all problems – one side sees the problem, the other doesn’t,” laughed the mayor.
The same was true of the closure of the border crossing point – some residents disliked the littered streets near the border crossing point and the constant roar of engines from trucks waiting in line, while others made a living by transporting cheaper goods to Belarus.
Now, such “trips” have stopped – Pilat said that those who want to go to Belarus now choose the Medininkai border control point, but they have to wait there for at least 12 hours.
The measures taken are just the beginning
And the “Dragon’s Teeth” did not appear only in Lavoriškės. When border guards requested that border protection be strengthened, the Lithuanian army installed such barriers at 19 border checkpoints with Russia and Belarus.
At closed border control points, the “Dragon’s Teeth” were placed on unused roads, while at those still in operation, they were placed next to the streets so that they could be quickly used if necessary.
Major Arnoldas Anelauskas, a representative of the Lithuanian Army’s Defence Staff, stated that these fortifications are part of a future Baltic defence line aimed at limiting the actions of hostile states.
The current measures are just the beginning. Several other counter-mobility measures are planned, including engineering parks, bridges prepared for blocking or demolition, blocking of fords, tree alleys, and restoration of swamps, among others.
“All such measures and elements will be part of a systematic arrangement of obstacles in the line of defence and will ensure greater depth of defence, improve control, and ensure better integration of obstacles into Lithuanian and NATO defence plans,” said Anelauskas.
This Lithuanian line of defence will consist of three echelons – at distances of up to 5 km, 20 km, and 50 km.
The first echelon will have all the equipment installed and activated, while the second and third echelons will have equipment such as engineering parks stored so that they can be quickly delivered to the necessary locations when needed.
The army has already identified several roads and paths along the border that will be reinforced in the near future. Not only “Dragon’s Teeth” will be installed there – depending on the specific location and needs, so-called “Hedgehogs” and “Spanish Horses” may also be deployed.
It is estimated that over 10 years, Lithuania will allocate EUR 1.1 billion to strengthen its counter-mobility arsenal and develop its operational capabilities.
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