Latvia installs anti-tank “dragon teeth” on the border with Russia

The Latvian Armed Forces have begun installing "dragonʼs teeth" anti-tank barriers along the border with Russia.

This is reported by the Latvian broadcaster LSM.

The concrete barriers are placed in three rows, about ten meters wide. Each block weighs about one and a half tons. The distance between them is calculated so that military equipment cannot pass.

Construction and delivery of the barriers began in 2024, but the structures began to be installed only in 2025. The work was delayed due to the border development process and the issue of the location of the facilities.

One of the main problems was that private land had to be used for construction. After the government passed a law on the creation of defense infrastructure, the process accelerated. Owners of land confiscated for construction are promised compensation.

Colonel Andris Rieksts, who is responsible for the Baltic Defense Line project, said that the experience of Ukraine was taken into account during construction. In addition to the "dragonʼs teeth", Latvia plans to equip anti-tank ditches.

The countryʼs total border with Russia and Belarus is about 450 kilometers long. This year, the Latvian military wants to equip more than 8 kilometers of defense infrastructure.

• The Baltic Defense Line is a project to fortify Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania along their borders with Russia and Belarus. The construction of the Baltic Defense Line was reported on January 19, 2024, during a joint meeting of the defense ministers of these countries in Riga, and is planned to be completed by 2028.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.