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To spread: Ukraine's military experience inspired Europeans to use natural obsta...

The power of swamps and peatlands: NATO came up with an original way to restrain the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (photo)

To spread: Ukraine's military experience inspired Europeans to use natural obstacles in defense. Swamps are a dangerous trap for military trucks, tanks and heavy artillery. Europe wants to restore the swamps along the eastern borders, so it will be possible to protect from the alleged attack of the Russian army. Politico writes about it. The idea came after analyzing the military experience of Ukraine.

In February 2022, during the offensive of the Russians to Kiev, the defense consultant and volunteer Alexander Dmitriev organized the blasting of dams on the Irpin River. The wetlands, dried back in the USSR, resumed. Thanks to the creative decision, it was possible to stop the promotion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the capital in the northern plot. The world's leading media showed footage with Russian tanks that struck in the mud.

Three years later, the example of Ukraine was adopted by the country of the Eastern Flank NATO. Experts decided to "kill two rabbits": create a defensive barrier due to swamps and fight climate change. Peat swamps absorb carbon dioxide and at the same time heat the heavy equipment of the enemy. Finland and Poland are actively studying plans to restore swamps both to protect their borders and in the fight against climate change.

Last year, Warsaw launched a large -scale project to strengthen the Eastern Shield border worth 2. 3 billion euros. Most of the peatlands run along the NATO border with Russia and Belarus: from the Finnish Arctic through the Baltic countries, past the Sualky Corridor and reach Eastern Poland. Wetlands are a dangerous trap for military trucks and tanks. When the army is unable to cross the wetlands, they are forced to move to areas that are easier to defend.

In early 2025, a tragic case occurred: four American soldiers in Lithuania were killed when their 63-ton M88 Hercules arrived in the swamp. The authors of the material give examples from history when the swamps used military strategies: German tribes lured Roman legions in a trap in the 9th year AD, and the Soviet were trapped in the border territories of Finland during the Soviet-Finnish War in the 1940s. "Finland has already used nature for defensive purposes.

This is especially true on the eastern border, there are many wonderful places, they need to be done as difficult as possible," said Parliament Parliament Aalto-settice Parliament, who underwent tank training during service in the army. Baltic countries are not in a hurry to show interest in the restoration of swamps.

Lithuania only discusses this idea, and Estonia and Latvia only take into account the plans of defensive lines natural obstacles, but the large -scale restoration of peatlands is not collected. Unlike Ukraine, the EU countries still have the ability to carefully and quickly restore peat swamps, taking into account the needs of ecology, farmers and military. "Perhaps it is better to think in advance than to act in a hurry.

We still have such an opportunity, and Ukraine did not have it," - summed up a professor of renewable ecology of the Tartu University in Estonia Anelian Helm. We will remind, the EU has decided to do the restoration of the Railway "Iron Rhine" because of military threats from Russia. For 60 years of peaceful life, they have become strongly rushed and overgrown with grass. Russia and Belarus are accumulating troops for the West 2025 military exercises.