Russia is a threat to Lithuania, but no redeployment of forces closer to the country’s borders has been recorded, according to the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
It made the announcement in a Facebook post in response to questions from Lithuanian people.
“Is the enemy already behind the gates, but we are hiding everything? No. For an attack on Lithuania to take place, two conditions must be met – first, enemy forces must be deployed near Lithuania’s borders, and second, the intention to use them must be known,” the Armed Forces said.
Intelligence is monitoring Russia's actions in Ukraine and there are no indications of redeployment closer to Lithuania, it added.
“The situation in Belarus remains unchanged: intensive but stable military training. Therefore, none of the above conditions are fulfilled,” the post reads.
Russia always a threat
According to the Armed Forces, Russia is clearly a threat, but “it has never been otherwise”.
“The Russian threat to Lithuania has been a constant since around the 15th century, when the first war between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Moscow took place, and one that we simply have to learn to live with,” it said.
The military also points out that Russia has more military capabilities today than it had in 2022, and that there is a growth in its armed forces, but the newly created units are not being deployed in areas of direct threat to Lithuania.
There are currently around 1,000 American troops deployed in Lithuania. However, statements by the new US administration officials have fuelled speculation that some American troops may be withdrawn from the continent.
According to the Armed Forces, the deployment of each country’s forces abroad is a national decision, but the two battalions deployed by the US in Lithuania are “training today, as they did yesterday, on their own and with Lithuanian troops”.
Spending on defence now
Lithuania aims to form a national division within its Armed Forces and be ready to host the German brigade by 2030.
“The division is our chance to not sit in the trenches and to hit the enemy the way they should be hit. Secondly, we are strengthening our intelligence capabilities. Intelligence from afar allows us to prepare in time and put the right antidotes in the right place,” the post noted.
“Thirdly, we are preparing for the transition to universal conscription, where our most important task is to ensure that all those who are willing and able to serve can do so. After 2022, there is no shortage of people who want to serve in the Armed Forces, but the number of places is limited,” it added.
Lithuania plans to spend 5–6 percent of its gross domestic product on defence over the next five years. According to the Armed Forces, building barracks and buying weapons requires money, but “paying with money now is better than paying with lives later”.
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