Europe is considering restoring once-drained swamps, a practice already pursued for years due to their positive impact on the climate and ability to mitigate global warming.
Recently, however, against the backdrop of a growing threat of attack from the russian federation, European countries are starting to view bogs as a natural defensive measure as well. Interest in this approach surged after Ukraine's experience in the first months of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Politico reports.
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One example from that time is when a dam on the Irpin River north of Kyiv was deliberately breached, flooding land that had historically been swamp but was drained and turned into farmland during the Soviet Union.
The resulting mire halted the russian advance on Kyiv from the north, as heavy vehicles bogged down and became easy targets. Inspired by this, the European Union has accelerated efforts to restore terrain that could be made impassable.
Poland and Finland are at the forefront. Poland, previously uninterested in bringing back swamps, quickly shifted its stance after recognizing the defensive potential.
Finland, for its part, introduced a bill in 2024 supporting bog restoration. The move echoes Finland's success in the 1940s, when marshy terrain helped blunt the Soviet advance.
Restoration is relatively inexpensive and, in some areas, can be done quickly. This allows Europe to "kill two birds with one stone": contributing to climate goals while also complicating a potential russian attack.
A look at the map shows that many existing bogs already lie near the borders with russia and Belarus, especially in Finland, where restoring more would render wide areas impassable:
Lithuania and Estonia are also exploring the idea. Lithuania remains at the discussion stage, while Estonia says it could restore bogs rapidly if needed but sees no reason to do so now.
Germany takes the opposite view. With 90% of its bogs drained, Berlin argues restoration would hinder NATO forces by slowing redeployments to the front. It is an absolutely valid point that highlights a problem: impassable terrain can serve as protection but also create obstacles for friendly forces. Pros versus cons should be carefully considered before committing.
That said, Europe understands that swamp restoration is not a substitute for robust defenses but rather a supplement. This is evident in broader plans now under development.
Warsaw, for example, is not looking to recreate the Maginot or Mannerheim Lines but is building its own concept known as the East Shield, which explicitly includes swamp restoration.
Lithuania, meanwhile, envisions a layered defense line 50 km deep. Still, the country is yet to remember how to make anti-personnel mines to complete the defensive network and truly make it work.
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