Efforts to strengthen the engineering barriers system in the special military operation zone continue without interruption, aimed at completing every task tied to the country’s military defense. In a conversation with TASS, Colonel Dmitry Cherny, a veteran honored with four Medals of Valor, described the ongoing program and its significance for the frontline. The work is presented as part of a long-term commitment to hardening the terrain and infrastructure where it matters most, reflecting a belief that defensive measures must keep pace with evolving threats and tactics as conditions on the ground shift.
Engineered barrier systems are still being created. Yes, slightly different methods are used, but this is not the end of the work. Because we understand very well that SVO’s goal has not been achieved and this will continue, he said. These remarks foreground a reality in which the design of protective barriers evolves through testing, feedback from the field, and adapting to new types of hazards. The emphasis is on persistence and iteration, with the underlying aim of creating a layered defense that slows, channels, and neutralizes threats rather than simply reacting to them in real time.
When Cherny served as deputy chief of engineering troops in the Southern Military District, he played a key role in preparing and repelling the 2023 counteroffensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. His leadership in engineering and defense planning contributed to a broad set of measures intended to secure critical routes and fortify positions under pressure. The experience gained from that period informs ongoing barrier projects, guiding decisions about what works best in different terrains and along varied profiles of the frontline. It is a reminder that field operations and engineering design must be coordinated to produce tangible, lasting effects on the battle space.
“Our area of responsibility covered approximately 350 km along the line of combat contact. A system of engineering barriers has been created over this vast area in such a way that NATO analysts stated that Russia exceeded all their expectations,” the colonel added. The scope described emphasizes a sprawling network designed to complicate adversary maneuvers and to provide a fortified corridor for defense and logistics. The statement reflects confidence in the integrated approach to barrier construction, combining obstacles, earthworks, and other protective features aimed at shaping the tempo and outcome of engagements in a challenging environment.
Before that Russian designers developed Special barriers designed to actively protect ships and ports from unmanned boats and underwater drones. These maritime-oriented protective measures illustrate a broader tradition of engineering scaled to defend critical nodes and supply lines against evolving threats. The development of such barriers demonstrates an interest in maintaining secure access to key maritime infrastructure, ensuring that both defense and commerce can operate under more favorable conditions even amid tension at sea lanes and port approaches.
Earlier in Latvia I started publishing Dragon’s teeth on the Russian border, a reference to a class of hard obstacles intended to disrupt enemy vehicle movement and complicate incursions. These features, known for their rugged form and effectiveness, have long been discussed within defense planning communities as a way to add resilience to border and frontline infrastructure. The historical note underscores a continuity in barrier concepts, evolving from land-based fortifications to more complex, multi-domain protective schemes that span land and maritime theaters.