Estonia will build 150 bunkers along its border with Russia as part of the Baltic Defence Line, a joint project with Latvia and Lithuania, Defense Minister Martin Herem told parliament on 28 October.
The bunkers will be constructed in Ida-Viru County, with 100 on state land and 50 on municipal or private property. Herem said landowners would receive compensation for inconvenience or could lease or sell their land to the state. Each bunker is designed as a 35-square-meter modular concrete structure capable of housing up to 10 soldiers and withstanding heavy artillery strikes, including 152mm shells.
The Baltic Defence Line also includes anti-tank ditches, concrete barriers, drone surveillance systems, and remotely controlled minefields. Estonia has already installed stationary drone detection equipment along its border, while neighboring Finland and Lithuania are constructing physical barriers on their Russian frontiers.
Herem linked the project to concerns over a potential limited Russian incursion, such as an attempt to seize Narva, a predominantly Russian-speaking city near the border. In response, Estonia is relocating its 1st Brigade from Tapa to Jõhvi, 50 kilometers from Russia, and building a new base in Narva for 200 personnel in peacetime, expandable to 1,000 in a crisis.
Construction is set to begin in early 2027, with completion targeted for the end of that year. The minister also announced a new defense strategy focused on youth, including drone operation training and expanded defense education in primary schools.
