Lithuania Counts on Additional NATO Forces in the Event of Russian Provocations — LRT
Lithuania has stated that the North Atlantic Alliance is ready to rapidly strengthen its military presence in the country if Russian provocations in the Baltic region lead to a significant deterioration of the security situation.
This was stated by Deividas Matulionis, chief national security adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda. According to him, NATO takes seriously warnings about a possible increase in the risk of Russian provocations in the Baltic region and other parts of Europe in the coming months.
“We have issued a warning, and the alliance is taking this very seriously. If all indicators point to a critical situation, I have no doubt that additional air defense forces and assets will be deployed,” Matulionis emphasized.
He recalled that leaders of NATO’s eastern flank countries recently issued a warning, citing intelligence data indicating that Russia is preparing possible provocations on the territory of Alliance member states.
According to the presidential adviser, Lithuania has already identified critical transportation and energy infrastructure facilities as potential targets for sabotage and has strengthened security measures at those sites.
Matulionis noted that as the Russian State Duma elections approach, such provocations may intensify. He explained that this includes both “false flag” operations designed to shift blame onto Ukraine and acts of sabotage similar to those already recorded in European countries in recent years.
At the same time, he emphasized that the potential threat applies not only to the Baltic states but also to other countries that actively support Ukraine.
However, the Lithuanian presidential adviser dismissed speculation that Russia is preparing a full-scale invasion of NATO member states.
“There is certainly no information about a troop buildup on our border, so the possibility of a military invasion is ruled out. The probability of this is practically zero,” Matulionis stated.
This was reported by LRT.
As a reminder, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated on July 15 that Russia may be preparing provocations in the Baltic states or Poland. According to him, intelligence data indicates possible attempts by Moscow to test NATO’s readiness and unity.
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