Lithuania Constructs New Base To House German Soldiers To 'Deter Russia'
Vilnius started constriction on a military base that would house over 4,000 German soldiers. The facility will be located just miles from the border shared with Belarus.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Vaiksnoras described the construction as a "huge investment" that will cost over $1.1 billion. He said the German deployment represents "deterrence, to push the Russians out."
However, it is unclear where Lithuania plans to push Russia from as Moscow has not invaded the Baltic state.
At least two dozen German soldiers are already stationed in Lithuania. The German troop deployment, which is scheduled to surge to 4,800 troops by 2027, is Berlin’s first permanent garrison of soldiers deployed to Lithuania since World War 2.
From 1941-1945, Nazi Germany occupied Lithuania. Under Hitler’s control, nearly Lithuania’s entire Jewish population was wiped out.
The deployment will provide a significant military surge to Lithuania, which has only 15,000 active duty soldiers. The base is located just 12 miles from the border with Belarus. Germany plans to deploy over 100 Leopard Tanks to the base.
Since the end of the Cold War, Washington has facilitated the expansion of the North Atlantic alliance up to the Russian border. Additionally, Brussels has increased military deployments to new members in Eastern Europe.
Lithuania formally jointed the NATO military alliance in March of 2004 alongside Latvia and Estonia. The countries of Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia were also part of that wave of NATO enlargement.
🇱🇹 Lithuania has just launched its largest-ever military project at Rūdninkai, building a base to house 80% of the German brigade. This unprecedented project strengthens regional security and reaffirms our commitment to NATO collective defence. The base will be built in 3 years. pic.twitter.com/yl7caZFKJb
— Lithuanian MOD 🇱🇹 (@Lithuanian_MoD) August 19, 2024
The Kremlin has consistently complained that the Eastward expansion of the bloc is a threat to Russian security. Russia has been invaded through its European borders multiple times. Prior to the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk, the last power which invaded Russia was Nazi Germany.