The time Russia needs to launch an attack against Ukraine has shrunk from “months to hours”, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anušauskas said on Thursday.
In an interview with LRT, he said Russia’s actions may begin as early as this week. "During talks in Geneva or elsewhere, Russia might also use its armed forces [against Ukraine] during the talks for a better negotiating position," he said.
"We will soon have [the Russian military] along our eastern border [with Belarus]. We already have it in some sense, as we know that they have a military base in the Grodno area,” the minister said.
“The aviation patrolling near our borders is Russian, without Belarusian escort," Anušauskas added.
Read more: Baltic states to send lethal US weapons to Ukraine – media
Russia’s ability to swiftly mobilise troops in Kaliningrad, an exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, has increased several times over the past several years, according to the minister.
"We now see increased military activity in Kaliningrad. [...]. But we don’t see any process that we could describe as preparation for a conventional attack. There's really no such thing," Anušauskas said.
There are over 100,000 Russian troops massed on its border with Ukraine, with Kyiv and the West fearing an imminent attack. Moscow has also started moving troops into Belarus, further raising tensions in the region.
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