Additional German troops arrived in Lithuania on Monday, reinforcing the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battlegroup in the country, the defence ministry said.
This week, the German Defence Ministry is sending additional troops to Lithuania in response to Russia’s military build-up on the border with Ukraine and the worsening security situation in the Baltic states, according to a press release.
“Over the next few days, I expect some 350 troops and about a hundred additional vehicles to complement our Forward Presence Battle Group,” said Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Andra, the commander of the multi-national eFP battalion in Lithuania.
“We look forward to their arrival and their integration into our battle group. As a commander, I am always pleased to receive additional capabilities, and I am really happy that we will receive reinforcement in the near future,” he added.
Around 100 troops arrived on Monday and others will join the battalion in the coming days, according to the commander.
“We have as much space [in Rukla military base] as we need […] we can also accommodate more than 500 or 600 troops additionally,” Andra said.
Germany leads the 1,200-strong eFP battlegroup in Lithuania and currently has around 500 soldiers stationed there. The NATO eFP battlegroup was deployed in Lithuania in 2017 and has operated on a rotational basis since then.
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