How country on Putin's doorstep is preparing for invasion… with a forest barricade, hidden army & miles of dragon teeth
Lithuania has recruited a secret army and drawn up plans for a forest barricade and miles of anti-tank dragon
teeth
to help keep Russia's bloodthirsty tyrant at arm's length.
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Belarusian army vehicles take part in war games exercises near the border of Lithuania
Credit: AP:Associated Press
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By 2027, Germany will send across an entire, highly-skilled combat unit to be stationed around Vilnius
Credit: AFP
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Lithuania is drawing up war plans for a possible invasion from Russia
Credit: David Bebber - The Times
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Whilst the Baltic state doesn't have a direct border with mainland Russia, it shares almost 700km with their allies in Belarus.
It is also nestled up to Russia's militarised outpost Kaliningrad - leaving them vulnerable to Russian interference and
future
attacks.
Insiders have been
Just this week, officials in
Lithuania
said Russia is ramping up GPS jamming operations against the country - with pilots reporting more than 1,000 disruptions in June.
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It marks a massive increase - with 585 incidents recorded in May and 447 in April.
And security chiefs have identified the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad as the source of the "interference".
In the face of evil, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania's former Foreign Minister, said his country is continuing to push back against enemy forces.
Lithuania is already in the top five Nato members who spend the most on defence each year.
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The government has also managed to make a deal with Germany to
Lithuanians are also pushing for the creation of a blockade with Belarus - in case Putin launches a cross-border invasion.
Zelensky warns Putin eyeing FIVE other European countries for invasion if he isn't stopped dead in Ukraine
Landsbergis told The Sun: "There is a push to think about defence lines on the border.
"I would like to see wherever possible new forests being seeded to plant trees.
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"We still have a lot of open space which could be used by tanks to roll over.
"I would like to see actual defence lines being built with mines, ditches, infrastructure, such as dragon teeth.
"We are taking this really seriously and it shows to the enemy that we are taking the threat seriously."
As a former MP in Lithuania, Landsbergis is well aware of the threat that
Russia
poses.
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Should Putin chose to invade a Nato member then he would likely choose Lithuania, many insiders believe.
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Lithuanian Army soldiers take part military exercise near the Polish border
Credit: AP
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Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Foreign Minister of Lithuania, speaks to journalists at the Nato foreign ministers' meeting in 2021
Credit: AFP
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Putin has a very strong relationship with Belarus' leader Alexander Lukashenko
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This is due to its small size - but also the long border it shares with two regions under heavy Russian protection.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, a former security adviser to the Lithuanian government, believes the enclave of Kaliningrad is "the main
target
for the Russians".
Another reason for Russia to view Lithuania as an easy target is due to their small army.
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Lithuania has less than 15,000 active personal in their ranks - and their equipment is also among the most outdated in Europe.
A bloodthirsty tyrant like Putin may fancy his chances at pulling off a successful invasion.
Meet Lithuania's 'Iron Wolf' troops
"WE are ready to fight Russia until the last man,
Vladimir Putin's war has a long shadow over the Baltic states - and many people fear if Russia isn't stopped in Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia could be next for Vlad.
Lithuanian troops and armoured vehicles were on exercise in the bone-chilling cold of the frozen forests of the Pabrade training area.
Our reporter was embedded with them as they carried out the war games drills just 10 miles from
There is a danger of feeling removed from the war in the UK, but for the people of the Baltics the conflict is essentially knocking at their front door.
Troops hunkered down in foxholes and crawled along the snow-covered ground as they prepared for the possibility they could one day have to fight to defend their homes.
Read more about the drills
But Lithuania is fighting back against the threat.
They have agreed to a major deal which would bolster their numbers and
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By 2027, Germany will send across an entire, highly-skilled combat unit to be stationed around Vilnius.
This will prompt Putin to rethink any invasion plans, Landsbergis believes.
He added: 'The Russians will have to take into consideration that they would be attacking, not just Lithuanian troops, but German troops now.'
Germany
pose a much greater threat to Moscow due to their huge and advanced army.
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Poland already has a giant metal border wall with Belarus with those in Lithuania calling for a similar blockade
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An abandoned fence sits in a forest near the Suwalki Gap area - a land corridor on the shared border between Lithuania, Poland and Russia
Credit: Reuters
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Despite having less than 15,000 active troops, Lithuania's army are confident they can repel a Russian attack
Credit: Ian Whittaker
And any form of attack on German troops will provoke a response from Berlin far greater than Russia has felt before.
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Vitkauskas and Landsbergis believe more nations within Nato should follow Germany to bolster fellow allies who sit in striking distance.
Maintaining strength as a country - and as a united block with other states in Nato and across the world - is vital to keep Russia at bay, Vitkauskas said.
He added: "The question is how strong are we as country?
"And it's not just Lithuania, any country around us or or even further in different continents."
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PUTIN'S TWISTED PLOTS
It's feared a Russian attack could "spark at any moment" - especially with Putin already wreaking havoc across Europe, experts warn.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, nations on the Baltic Sea have faced damage to undersea
power
cables, arson and cyberattacks.
A number of attacks on the continent have been attributed to Putin - including a
Putin also has a
history
of facing accusations saying he is being major cyber attacks which strike critical enemy infrastructure.
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Estonian military chief Martin Harem previously warned how the tyrant uses
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Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Putin won't stop at just invading Ukraine if he isn't stopped by Nato
Credit: AFP
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Lithuanian Emergency Ministry employees work at the site where a DHL cargo plane crashed into a house near Vilnius
Credit: AP
Vitkauskas believes the despot thrives of "uncertainty by causing chaos within the public", so leaders must always be "vigilant" and "prepared".
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To counter the threat, Lithuania is putting "a lot of effort" into protecting their
energy
and electricity supplies - but also, internet networks and
broadband
.
This critical infrastructure will be the first to be struck if Russian forces launch an assault so must be a priority, Vitkauskas cautioned.
"When we talk about the Russian threat, we understand there is an intent and there is capability," Vitkauskas said.
"We've seen what's happening around Europe, what's happening in our country and we know the capability is there.
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"There are very clear examples the Russians have decided to wage operations in our country.
"The main effort from the Russian special services is to raise some doubts. It's very strategic. But I'm sure it will not succeed."
Timeline of Russian sabotage attacks across Europe
SINCE the war in Ukraine it is believed the Russians have launched a wave of sabotage attacks across Europe.
Oslo, Norway, June 29, 2022
- Cyberattack renders government websites unusable for 24 hours
Riga, Latvia, February 27, 2024
- Arson attack on'Museum of the Occuption'
London, UK, March 20, 2024
- Wagner-group linked arson attack at warehouse
Wroclaw, Poland, April 18, 2024
- Plot to assassinate Zelensky foiled
Warsaw, Poland, April 13, 2024
- Warsaw shopping centre torched by suspected Russian agent
Berlin, Germany, May 3, 2024
- Cyberattacks on German politicians and companies
Prague, Czechia, May 3, 2024
- Mass cyber attacks on government and infrastructure
Vilnius, Lithuania, May, 9, 2024
- Arson attack on Ikea - targeted as store was same colour as Ukrainian flag
Paris, France, June 7, 2024 -
Russian accused of planning plot to plant bomb at D-day celebration
Dusseldorf, Germany, July 12
,
2024
- Western intelligence reveal plot to assassinate German arms boss
Birmingham, UK, July 22, 2024
- Russia suspected of planting device at DHL depot
Warsaw, November 8, 2024
- Prosecutors reveal Russian parcel bomb plot across Europe
Vilnius, Lithuania, November 25, 2024
- DHL cargo plane crashes after suspected Russian package bomb
Baltic Sea, December 25, 2024 -
Estlink-2 cable cut by ship anchor - one of many cable cutting attacks linked to Russia
Landsbergis fears the Kremlin may already be plotting how to launch an invasion through the use of cyber warfare.
He says one possible scenario could involve them causing a train travelling from Moscow to Kaliningrad via Lithuania to break down.
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Putin could then say he is obliged to send his men to help the Russian citizens trapped on board.
These border agents and
police
officers would also need to be accompanied by Russian troops due to them entering a hostile environment.
Landsbergis believes it could then "all escalate in a matter of hours".
Serious panic for both Lithuanian officials and Nato would soon set in once Putin's men enter through Belarus.
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Landsbergis speculated: "Maybe we're just overreacting right? It's a normal civilian rescue situation.
"Just help Russians with whatever you can, don't shoot, don't escalate. Take it slow and maintain a cool head.
"But then the
next
thing you know we lose at least partially the control of all of our territory."
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Landsbergis says one possible attack could involve Russia causing a train travelling from Moscow to Kaliningrad via Lithuania to break down
Credit: Ian Whittaker
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Nato soldiers take part in a welcoming ceremony for alliance troops arriving at the Rukla base in Rukla, Lithuania
Credit: EPA
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