Protesters in Vilnius are demonstrating against the construction of a military training ground — LRT
In Vilnius, several hundred people took to the streets to protest against the creation of a new military training ground.
The participants oppose the project, arguing that forest areas and nature must be protected.
This was reported by LRT.
On Tuesday, as the parliament was set to consider a bill on establishing a military training ground near the town of Kapčiamiestis, the “For Lithuanian Forests” movement and their supporters held a protest against it on Independence Square, demanding the preservation of the forest.
The protesters, estimated to number around 300 people, arrived with national flags and posters bearing slogans such as “No to the military training ground” and “Stop the destruction of forests and animals.”
Protesters believe that choosing this area for a training ground will lead to the senseless destruction of the forest. Some express confusion as to why Lithuania needs a larger area of training grounds per capita than some larger countries.
The protest organizers are calling for an environmental impact assessment, transparency in the process, and public discussion before final decisions on the training ground’s creation are made, and they are urging that alternative locations be considered first.
The entire Kapčiamis Forest covers an area of about 28,000 hectares, with 52% of the territory designated as a forest of national importance.
The project for the creation of the training ground, as agreed upon in the initial stages, stipulates that it will cover an area of approximately 14.6 hectares, extending into the forest. Part of the range will be designated for shooting, and another part for maneuvering exercises. The creation of the range also affects the interests of more than 70 owners of homesteads and land plots in the surrounding area.
Lithuania has again closed Vilnius Airport due to unidentified objects.
Earlier, the Polish military recorded objects approaching from Belarus that had entered the country’s airspace.
Prior to this, the remains of two hot air balloons carrying contraband cigarettes were found in Poland’s Podlaskie Voivodeship. Police suspect they may have flown in from Belarus. The boxes contained about 1,500 packs of cigarettes without excise stamps.
