The military obstacles Latvia is putting up to stop a Russian invasion

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted other countries bordering Russia to prepare their armies and improve their defenses.

These are the five smallest armies in the NATO, two of them in a zone of high tension
The tension of CQC combat in shocking images of a military exercise in Latvia

Russia's threats against several countries have been taken very seriously following the Russian invasions of Georgia and Ukraine. Countries such as Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland are well aware of Russian imperialism because they have suffered from it throughout their history.

In addition to modern means of defence, some countries are also resorting to classic obstacles to hinder a possible Russian invasion of their territory. This is the case of Latvia, whose government has approved a "Plan for military strengthening and anti-mobility of Latvia's eastern border", which includes the placement of anti-mobility obstacles in more than 20 places on Latvia's eastern borders with two hostile neighbours: Russia and Belarus.

The obstacles that Latvia is creating and accumulating on its eastern border are of the following types:

• Dragon's teeth: This is a classic defence against armoured vehicles. It is shaped like a pyramid, with a square base, and is made of reinforced concrete. The Germans used them on their famous Siegfried Line during World War II.
• Czech hedgehogs: is an obstacle against armoured vehicles made up of several metal beams. Czech hedgehogs became very famous for their use on the beaches of Normandy by the Germans. They originate in the former Czechoslovakia, which used these obstacles on its border with Germany in 1938.
• Barbed wire: is a military defense against infantry, which was invented in 1868 in the United States and is still used today in many countries. It is made up of barbed wire barriers.
• Concrete blocks: This is another effective defense against armored vehicles. These are rectangular blocks equipped with pins on the top to fit them together. Because of their shape, they are also known as Lego blocks.
• HESCO barriers: Invented in the 1990s, this type of barrier is widely used by Western countries to protect the perimeters of their bases during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is shaped like an open-topped box, with a wire frame and a fabric lining. Once in place, it can be filled with cement, stones, soil or rubbish.

You can watch here a video published two days ago by the Latvian Army showing these defences:

---

Photos: Latvijas Armija.