Lithuania trains civilians for defense in case of a possible Russian invasion
In Lithuania, civilians of different ages are being taught survival skills, first aid, handling weapons and drones in case of a possible invasion by Russia, an aggressor state. At a regular school in Vilnius, students undergo military-oriented training alongside regular subjects, CBS News reports.
Fifteen-year-old student Neda said that she is studying survival skills in class and will later become familiar with handling weapons. In the event of a crisis, she would like to use her first-aid skills and try to become a medic.
Civilian training and technology
Lithuania, with a population of fewer than 3 million people, is also training adult civilians. History teacher Mindaugas Nefas, who is learning to handle weapons, said that involving the whole society in national preparedness should demonstrate to Russia that Lithuanians are ready to defend their country.
Taking into account the experience of Russia's war against Ukraine, civilians in the country are being taught to use drones and shoot them down. Lithuania's small professional armed forces are also mastering technologies used in warfare, including networks of sensors and drones known as the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative. These systems are intended to slow down a possible Russian invasion.
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Defense near Belarus
Defense measures also include tank obstacles and command posts located underground in different parts of the country. Vilnius is situated less than 20 miles from the border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia whose territory Vladimir Putin's troops used as a staging ground for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the country is not afraid of Russia and is ready to defend its home. According to him, this confidence is influenced by the memory of the Soviet occupation of Lithuania, which ended after the collapse of the communist bloc in 1991.
As CBS News notes, until recently NATO planners doubted whether it was possible to defend Lithuania from a full-scale Russian attack because of its location between Russian and Russian-allied territories. Technological changes in the war against Ukraine and the resilience of Ukrainians have given the Baltic state new grounds for optimism, the outlet assesses.
