Estonian village caught between anti-tank ditches and Russian border
Residents in a small village in Setomaa, southern Estonia, are having to get used to living between newly dug anti-tank ditches on private land and the border. Locals are concerned about water flowing into the ditches and road access.
Anti-tank ditches are being built along the Estonian-Russian border on both private and state land as part of the Baltic Defense Line to boost security on the eastern border. In Setomaa, almost 23 kilometers of ditches have already been dug on private land and 28 bunkers have been installed.
Vinski village has seven households and has recently become something of a fortified village. The settlement has a border barrier fence on one side and concrete dragon's teeth, defensive ditches and embankments on the other.
Residents told ERR they are concerned about water flowing into the ditches and whether nearby roads will remain accessible.
"The first fear was that these ditches are so deep that how would you get out if you fell into one, or if they filled with water? There are kindergarten-aged children in the village. Of course, there are ponds and streams everywhere that you have to protect children from anyway, but this still raised questions because the slopes are very steep," Vinski resident Lea Ojamets said.
Villagers were also unhappy that there will be only one road leading into and out of the village.
"I pushed for an alternative exit that people could use to leave on foot, because anything could happen to the main road," Ojamets said.
Margus Timmo, head of the Union of Setomaa NGO, which is organizing the digging of ditches on private land, said Vinski residents' fears are understandable.
"So far, no damage has occurred anywhere. There are only concerns raised by villagers that perhaps the water will flood their forest, or perhaps, if something happens to the road, they will be unable to leave the village because it is surrounded by ditches. These are all hypothetical concerns that we are trying to find solutions to. This has been going on since September, and we have also sat down together and drawn up a memorandum of mutual intentions," he said.
A pond is being built to drain away excess water from the ditches and a second exit road between the ditches has been created, ERR's "Aktuaalne kaamera" evening news show reported.
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Editor: Helen Wright, Marko Tooming
