Europe turns borders into anti-tank swamps as Ukraine ‘just the start of Putin’s plans’

European nations are starting to put in places more trategic measures at their borders as Vladimir Putin continues to pose a threat with World War 3 fears only increasing

European borders are being transformed into defensive swamp lands as countries prepare themselves for an imminent war with Russia. According to reports, Goods such as food, water and medicine are also being stockpiled in preparation for a crisis.

Amongst members of the 27-nation block that are anticipating possible hostile action from Russia, including some at risk of invasion, there is now an urgency to be prepared. The defence ministers of Poland and Finland have instructed the restoral of their countries’ marshes and bogs to make it impossible for a Russian ground advance. The action would stop Putin’s tanks from progressing into their sovereign territory and cause the heavy vehicles to sink.

As per The Daily Mail, action comes as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz issued a warning on Monday (September 8) that Putin’s ‘imperialist plan wouldn’t end with the conquest of Ukraine but would rather be just the start’. Brussels has implemented a ‘stockpiling strategy’ to ensure key goods across the contingent will still be available in the face of potential crises such as climate change, pandemics and war.

The European Union has also urged every household to have a three-day survival kit which includes ID documents in a waterproof pouch, bottled water, energy bars and a flashlight. In France, the government has warned its health organisations that they are expecting a ‘major engagement’ by March 2026 and have told their hospitals to prepare for a potential flood of military patients from home and abroad.

These plans have come off the back of a warning by the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky who predicted that Putin could attack a NATO country within the next five years. The Ukrainian leader also criticised the alliance for a slow spending ramp up in June.

The thinking behind turning national border areas into swamps is not a new idea. Ukraine demonstrated the tactic of using the natural capability of its wetlands to halt the progress of Russian invasion. As Putin’s forces marched towards their capital in February 2022, the country took a desperate measure to repel Putin’s advance.

Ukrainian armed forces flooded 2,800 hectares of land when they destroyed the soviet-era Kozarovychi Dam on the Irpin river north of Kyiv.

US President Donald Trump highlighted the effectiveness of the action last month when he claimed Russian tanks found themselves ‘stuck in the mud’ after a hole was blown in the dam wall.

Now, authorities in Europe are calling for the restoration of bogs and marshes as a measure to combat climate change and to bolster defence. The unusual ecosystems of peatlands store large amounts of carbon dioxide but if drained, the habitat exudes hundreds of years worth of carbon up into the atmosphere. This action is detrimental towards the environment because it contributes to global warming.

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