The encroachments into Lithuanian airspace by aircraft Moscow who travel back and forth with the Russian enclave of Kaliningradnow they can no longer be counted. Only in the last few days have the Eurofighters of the NATO engaged in the "Baltic air policing" operation (in which Italian pilots also took part months ago) reported numerous trespassing by planes whose transponders were turned off. There have been no real clashes but it is a sign of Moscow's new aggressive attitude which aims to keep the level of conflict with NATO and Europe high.
Baltic Sea, the new hot front of the war
Il Baltic it is increasingly the hot border as evidenced by the latest action of the Ukrainian raiders who set fire to a Russian missile ship docked off the exclave of Kaliningrad. A Ukrainian intelligence source confirmed the operation at the hands of Kiev's 007s who would have "disabled" the ship while "its means of communication and automation were completely destroyed". It is the first attack of the kind in the Baltic Sea, facing the small patch of Russian land between Lithuania and Poland, a high risk area also due to the never-denied presence of a nuclear weapons depot.
That the situation is not evolving in the best way is confirmed by the words of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, according to which Europe must prepare for the possibility of a conflict. “The possibility of high-intensity conventional war in Europe is no longer a fantasy. And we must obviously do everything to avoid it. But to contain the enemy we must have the means to do so. War is on the horizon it will not start tomorrow, but we cannot deny the reality,” said Borrell, who called the Russian attacks at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant “reckless”.
High tension in Lithuania: Germany moves its troops
The fact remains that Vilnius is becoming the real crossroads of the new European and NATO strategies in recent weeks. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya the most determined opponent of Lukashenko's Belarusian regime has set up her operational base for her political actions against Minsk in Vilnius. And just in Vilnius a month Leonid Wolves, the dissident close to Navalny was fiercely attacked probably by a person recruited by the Russian services according to what he said Darius Jauniskis, director of the Vilnius State Security Department. The climate is tense and the Russian embassy in Vilnius was attacked days ago with Molotov cocktails thrown by unknown persons two nights in a row.
But above all, the collaboration between Vilnius and thearmy tedesco achieved already at the end of 2023. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced the start of the deployment of a German brigade in Lithuania two days ago: “It is an important day for the Bundeswehr. It is the first time that we have permanently deployed a unit of this type outside Germany." A permanent presence of approximately 4.800 soldiers and around 200 Bundeswehr civilians, who will also be able to bring their families with them. The force, which will be called Panzerbrigade 45, will be deployed in Rukla and Rūdninkai, near Vilnius. The initial command is expected to grow to 150 units by the fourth quarter of 2024. A deployment that will "exacerbate already growing tensions" according to the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. "It increases an already growing tension, creates dangerous situations for us at our borders and requires us to take special measures to ensure our safety," Peskov said.
From Lithuania 3.000 drones and 15 million to Ukraine
Meanwhile, Vilnius will provide 3.000 drones in Kiev and will allocate 15 million euro for rehabilitation programs of wounded Ukrainian soldiers. The announcement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmigal and his Lithuanian counterpart Ingrida Simonyte during a meeting in Vilnius.
The main European diplomacies have turned the spotlight on Lithuania and also Italy at the request of the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and the premier Giorgia Meloni they wanted to break with a tradition of the past which often saw diplomats at the end of their careers sent as ambassadors to the Baltic countries by designating very dynamic young diplomats for those three capitals such as the new Italian ambassador in Vilnius Emanuele De Maigret.
Lithuanian President Nausėda in pole position for second term
It will be up to him and his team to monitor the political and security situation of the country as it prepares for the presidential elections scheduled for May 12. Candidate more Favourite the president remains in office Gitanas Nauseda. The latest poll places him at a clear advantage over potential challengers, with 30% of the vote, while the second place, the Christian Democrat Ignas Vegele, stands at 16%. However, 30% of the votes would not be enough for Nausėda to win in the first round and it is therefore likely that Lithuania will go to the polls for a second round. Nausėda has long been a supporter of Ukraine with military, humanitarian and economic aid. In 2023, it was revealed that Nausėda had previously been a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and had kept this secret when he ran for president in 2019. Despite the scandal, however, Nausėda continues to enjoy widespread support in the country.
