LONDON, June 24. /TASS/. Five NATO member states - Finland, Poland, and the three Baltic nations (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) - are prepared to deploy landmines along their borders with Russia, effectively establishing a new Iron Curtain in Europe, The Daily Telegraph reports.
According to the publication, each of these countries has concluded that deterring a potential Russian invasion requires defensive measures once considered unthinkable. If necessary, the piece states, they will seed the quiet pine forests and birch groves along their borders with millions of mines.
The newspaper notes that all five countries have announced their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, which prohibits the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel landmines. Once their withdrawal is formally submitted to the United Nations, the countries will be legally permitted to manufacture and deploy landmines on their own territory. Military planners are already assessing which sections of the borders would be mined in the event of armed conflict.
Earlier, President Vladimir Putin dismissed statements that Russia plans to attack NATO or European countries, calling such allegations "lies" and "nonsense."