Lithuania starts building bases for German troops near border with Russia

Reuters reported the information.

Last year Germany pledged to deploy troops in a NATO and EU member state bordering Russia. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius compared this decision to the deployment of allied troops in West Germany during the Cold War to protect Western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.

The base will be built in Rudninkai, near the capital Vilnius and just 20 kilometers from Belarus. It is planned to accommodate up to 4,000 troops, storage and maintenance facilities for tanks and other equipment, and shooting ranges of all sizes. About a thousand more German military and civilian contractors will be stationed at other facilities in Lithuania.

The new military base will reportedly include 120 buildings, helipads, training grounds, footholds, more than 10 km of internal roads, etc. According to the contract, the base will be used by the German brigade for three years.

• Over the past week, from August 12 to 18, NATO fighter jets took off three times to intercept Russian aircraft over the Baltic states.