About 1,000 people gathered Saturday to protest plans to establish a military training ground near the southern Lithuanian town of Kapčiamiestis, saying the project would force residents from their homes and damage forests and local communities.
Local residents were joined by supporters from other parts of Lithuania and neighbouring Poland, many of whom said they backed national defence but questioned the government’s lack of transparency and the choice of location.
Protesters carried Lithuanian flags, wore scarves in national colours and sang patriotic songs. They formed a human chain stretching about 3 kilometres along the road between Kapčiamiestis and the nearby village of Sopočkinas. Several police units were deployed to maintain order.
Organisers said about 1,000 people took part in the demonstration.
“We don’t want to be driven out of our homes or have our land and forests taken,” said pensioner Elvyra Jančiulienė, a Kapčiamiestis resident. “There are already enough military training grounds in Lithuania. We don’t need war. If this training ground is built here, we’ll be the first to suffer.”
Jančiulienė said the town has recently seen young families return from abroad, invest in homes and start businesses, strengthening the local community.
“We rebuilt everything with our last savings,” she said. “And now they want to take it all away.”
Another resident, 75-year-old Anelė Balčienė, said she came to defend her homeland, where generations of her family were born and lived. She criticised proposed compensation for expropriated property as inadequate.
“They’re offering 10,000 euros for one building,” she said. “What can you build with that? It feels like the government wants to deceive us.”
Protesters carried signs reading “No to the training ground in Kapčiamiestis”, “Stop destroying homesteads, forests and wildlife”, and “No to war mongering – yes to peace”.
Supporters also arrived from Marijampolė, Vilnius, and Poland. Vilma Košubienė, a farmer from Marijampolė, said she has no property in the area but regularly visits nearby forests to pick mushrooms.
“Forests have already been cut down here,” she said. “This affects not only people, but the entire ecosystem.”
A chess coach from Vilnius, Andrius Mulevičius, said he supports Lithuania’s security but wants clearer justification from authorities.
“I consider myself a patriot,” he said. “But I want clear arguments explaining why this specific training ground is absolutely necessary. Decisions should be made through dialogue, not force.”
Polish citizen Lukasz Mellerowicz, 75, said he understands the need to strengthen defence because of neighbouring Russia but urged officials to reconsider the site.
“Is this location really the most suitable?” he said. “Maybe the training ground could be moved elsewhere to avoid harming residents and forests.”
Local activists have launched a petition opposing the training ground in the Kapčiamiestis forest area, which has collected more than 13,000 signatures online and raised more than 6,500 euros. Organisers also gathered signatures during Saturday’s protest. Signatures will be collected until February 7, after which demands will be submitted to government institutions.
Community leader Raminta Karauskienė said residents are asking lawmakers to halt the process and provide written explanations for choosing the site near the Suwałki Corridor, a strategically sensitive area linking Lithuania and Poland.
President Gitanas Nausėda said Saturday evening that the training ground “will definitely be built” and pledged to use all efforts to secure political support for the project. He said compensation for affected residents would be “very fair”, including possible payments for moral damages.
Despite the president’s stance, protesters said they hope an alternative location can still be found along the Suwałki Corridor.
Lithuania plans to establish a military training ground covering about 14,600 hectares near Kapčiamiestis in the coming years. The Defence Ministry says the site’s strategic location makes it essential for strengthening the country’s defensive capabilities. Final approval must still be granted by parliament during its spring session.
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