Along the forests and swamps separating the Baltic states from Russia and Belarus, workers are digging anti-tank ditches, pouring concrete for bunkers and erecting rows of "dragon’s teeth" — jagged concrete obstacles meant to slow and channel armored vehicles during an attack — to buy precious time in case of invasion.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 revived old fears in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, where memories of Soviet rule remain vivid.
In the years since, fear has given way to preparation. Defense budgets have soared, military exercises intensified, and new fortifications have risen even as daily life largely continues as normal.
But in recent months, the sense of geographical distance from the war has begun to fade after a string of drone incursions — believed to be Ukrainian — strayed into Baltic airspace.
Ukraine says the drones were diverted by Russian electronic jamming, while Moscow denies responsibility. Yet the incidents have fueled regional unease.
In mid-May, two drone intrusions within 48 hours rocked the region. A NATO fighter jet from Romania was scrambled to respond to one violation, while Lithuania issued a public alert urging residents and its parliament to take shelter during another.
Amid those tensions, Russia alleged it had information that Ukraine planned to launch combat drones from Latvia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian military was preparing an "appropriate" response.
Latvia dismissed the claims as false. The ruling coalition eventually collapsed after a dispute over how the government handled the stray drone incidents.
But behind the rhetoric and political upheaval, more fundamental questions remain: Do Baltic citizens feel they are edging closer to direct military confrontation? And how real is that possibility?
