Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas, on Tuesday took the first step toward establishing a new military training ground in the southern Lazdijai district, citing the need to expand infrastructure for a growing armed forces.
After an initial reading, 102 lawmakers in the Seimas voted in favour of the draft law on the Kapčiamiestis military training area, while 10 opposed and six abstained.
All votes against came from members of the ruling coalition, including seven lawmakers from the Nemunas Dawn party led by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, who himself voted no, and three members of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens and Christian Families Union group.
The proposal will now be reviewed by the parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defence and is expected to return to the plenary chamber on April 14.
Presenting the initiative, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said the project is driven by the rapid expansion of Lithuania’s military.
“The main need for training grounds is that the Lithuanian Armed Forces are growing, and a growing structure requires infrastructure where soldiers can train, conduct manoeuvres and practice shooting,” he said.
He compared military training to professional practice in other fields. “We would not want a surgeon who has only read textbooks but has never practiced,” he added.
Under the draft law, the Kapčiamiestis training ground would be designated a project of special national importance. The planned area would cover about 14,600 hectares, including nearly 2,000 privately owned plots, most of them forest land.
The legislation foresees transferring state-owned land to the Defence Ministry, terminating existing lease agreements and changing land use to defence purposes. State forests within the area would be removed from the national registry, and local roads and other public assets would be handed over to the military.
The project also provides for the expropriation of land and property for public needs. Property owners would no longer be able to sell, mortgage or alter their assets once the law is adopted.
Owners of expropriated property would receive compensation at market value, along with additional payments for losses, including relocation costs and nonmaterial damages.
The draft law sets additional compensation at 45 minimum monthly wages – currently about 51,800 euros – for residential buildings, and five minimum wages, or about 5,765 euros, for land plots or commercial buildings.
Thirteen homesteads located in the planned firing range area would be subject to mandatory relocation, with owners receiving the higher compensation. In a broader training zone, 77 property owners would be offered compensation of 22 minimum monthly wages, or more than 25,000 euros, and could choose whether to stay or sell their property within five years.
Five additional homesteads located between the training ground and the Polish border would also be eligible for compensation.
The law would also require compensation for crops, vegetation, forest resources and other economic losses, with property valuations carried out by independent assessors paid by the Defence Ministry. The higher of two valuations would be used.
Environmental considerations are included in the project, with a commitment to minimise damage and restore natural value where impacts cannot be avoided.
The training ground would be located near the strategically important Suwałki Gap, a narrow corridor between Poland and Lithuania seen as a key vulnerability in NATO’s eastern flank.
The decision to establish the training area was approved in principle by Lithuania’s State Defence Council in December. However, it has sparked protests from some local residents, concerned about displacement and environmental impact.
President Gitanas Nausėda and Defence Minister Kaunas have both visited the area to meet with the community.
According to the Defence Ministry, the new facility would allow 3,500 to 4,000 troops to train simultaneously. Large-scale exercises would take place about five times a year and last up to 10 days, while smaller drills would be conducted continuously.
The ministry expects training activities to begin at the site by 2028, with firing ranges to be completed by 2030.
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