Today, Lithuania is a prosperous country. Immigrants, especially from Great Britain, are returning to the growing economy. Revenue increased by 89%. EU average. However, peace and prosperity are an anomaly in Lithuania’s modern history. The English newspaper writes that Russian invasions are routine.
Russia poses a “threat to survival”, former Lithuanian president Dalia Grypaskait told the FT. In a matter of days, Putin’s troops could destroy everything Lithuanians have built since independence in 1990.
2.7 million Lithuanians live between the Russian satellite of Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. How can they resist? Mobilizing every Lithuanian.
Lithuania wants to build a resilient society. It all starts with a flexible army. The Russian invasion of Ukraine showed that the Lithuanians could not retreat, then recaptured the territory. “If you must return, there will be nothing to redeem” – warned Grybauskaitė.
So the new strategy is to reinforce NATO and Lithuania (invaded here in 2015) to defend every inch of land. Above all, the goal is to prevent Putin from considering an invasion
A resilient community
Another link is a resilient community. This means that every person, company and organization in Lithuania shares responsibility for the country’s security. Lithuanians who learned to distrust the state during the Soviet era must become active citizens. There are signs that this is happening: the presence of an all-volunteer army, public arms for Ukraine, and Russian-speaking citizens calling on people in Russia to disabuse themselves of illusions about the war.
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Lithuania is also reviving the Soviet civil defense tradition. For example, your rehabilitation of Soviet air raid shelters built to withstand a NATO attack – writes “FT”.
No one in Lithuania expects an invasion tomorrow. But if Ukraine loses, the Baltic states are expected to be next. Their future may depend on Lithuania’s main ally, the United States. And aid to Ukraine could be in question if Donald Trump wins the presidential election.
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