One of the European nations deemed most at-risk from Vladimir Putin has completed a 175-mile fortification along its border with Russia. Latvia’s new defences include fences topped with barbed wire and concrete barriers known as ‘dragon’s teeth’ which are used to thwart the advances of enemy tanks and armoured vehicles.

Latvian minister Rihards Kozlovskis said further work to the frontier with Russia is expected as the NATO ally prepares to pour 4.91% of its GDP into defence next year. He said: “The process of equipping the border with high-tech surveillance systems is ongoing. Our ultimate goal is to establish the most modern border service along the EU’s eastern frontier.”

Broader infrastructure is also set to be put in place, including patrol roads and pontoon paths through swampy areas.

It comes months after Latvia finished similar work along its 145-mile border with Belarus, a key ally of Moscow.

The Baltics are considered among the most likely targets if Russia one day decides to risk an attack on the military alliance, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warning this could be within the next five years.

“Russia is already escalating its covert campaign against our societies,” he said earlier this month.

“We must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured.”

His comments echoed similar warnings from Western intelligence agencies; claims Russia has dismissed.

Germany’s defence chief General Carsten Breuer has said Russia could attack the Baltics, all of which are part of NATO, by 2029 or earlier.

While the EU’s Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius has warned of a Russian attack on NATO within the next two to four years, with the Baltics the most likely targets.

Estonia and Lithuania have also been building a fortified zone along their borders with Russia and Belarus.

The defences are said to be based on the 19-mile Ukrainian model, designed to slow and repel enemy troops.

While neighbouring Poland is also reinforcing its land borders with Belarus and Russia, including a £1.7 billion drone fortification along its eastern flank in response to a series of incursions.

Despite the increasing fears, Estonia’s spy chief on Friday claimed there is no current sign Moscow is looking to attack any of the Baltic states or NATO.