Lithuania to Deploy Troops to Guard Border With Kaliningrad Region

Lithuania will deploy members of its Armed Forces to strengthen border security along the border with Russia’s Kaliningrad region.

Lithuanian Interior Minister Martynas Katelynas said this on October 7.

Up to 100 military personnel are expected to be deployed to reinforce border patrols.

They will assist the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, and the operation is expected to last about two weeks, until October 16.

According to Katelynas, the decision was made as a preventive measure due to the overall security situation in the region, a recent incident on the Latvia-Belarus border, and reports suggesting that Russia may announce mobilization.

Katelinas noted that if Russia announces mobilization, Russians seeking to evade conscription may attempt to illegally cross the state border.

Meanwhile, the minister emphasized that the situation on Lithuania’s border remains calm for now.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the Lithuania-Belarus border has a physical barrier, while no such barrier exists along the border with the Kaliningrad region.

Therefore, increased patrols are intended to provide additional readiness for possible incidents. The total length of Lithuania’s border with Russia is nearly 275 kilometers.

Lithuania’s decision is also linked to an incident that occurred the previous day on the Latvia-Belarus border.

At least 20 illegal migrants attempted to cross the border with the assistance of armed masked escorts.

Latvian military personnel stopped the attempt. Later, unidentified individuals entered the country, damaged an electrical cabinet, and stole two surveillance cameras.