With the Russian attack on Ukraine and the Kremlin’s aggressive rhetoric against the West Germany’s last “suspension” on the activation of armed forces in the framework of NATO has also passed irretrievably, that went from the dark historical past of the country to the Second World War. The new reality, as it has been shaped since the end of February 2022, has strengthened the feelings of threat of the countries that make up the eastern wing of the western alliance and share a common border with Russia.

The dispatch of a combat brigade to Lithuania is another first and a turning point in the history of the Bundeswehr. Because on the one hand its presence in the country will be permanent and on the other hand, in the event that Russia attacks or in any way seriously threatens the security and territorial integrity of Lithuania, German soldiers will be called to defend it by force of arms.

10 kilometers from the Russian border

That is, in the worst case scenario the Germans could oppose the Russians militarily. A “Zeitenwende” (turn) for the German army. The website of the Bundeswehr details the road map detailing the deployment and operation of the so-called “Lithuanian brigade”. It will initially consist of 4,800 soldiers, men and women, as well as another 200 civil servants who will be stationed in Rutnikai and Ruska, home to Lithuania’s largest military base. It should be mentioned that during the Cold War, Rutnikai, today only ten kilometers from the Russian border, was a firing range for the air force of the then Soviet Union. And because the character of the brigade will be permanent, infrastructure will also be built for the soldiers to come along with their families. One part of the infrastructure exists and will be modernized, another will be built from scratch.

The costs are borne by Lithuania itself. In the city of Kaunas and in the capital Vilnius, apartments will be built for the families accompanying the German officers, schools, kindergartens and recreation areas for their children. Air connectivity between the two countries will also be improved to facilitate travel. In general, living and private life in Lithuania must be attractive to the soldiers themselves and their families to encourage others to join. The response so far is already great. As the German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said, for the 20 positions of officer promotions, they expressed interest over 600 in uniform.

Geographical area with “explosive” characteristics

Boris Pistorius personally saw off the first 20-strong convoy from Berlin airport. The inspector general of the army, Lt. Gen. Alphonse Mais, accompanied them to Lithuania and in Vilnius they were welcomed by the new Minister of Defense Laurinas Kasiunas. “We are sending a clear message of solidarity with the permanent establishment of this Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania,” Pistorius said, shaking hands with the officers one by one. “This is an important day for the brigade, for the armed forces and for NATO, it is the first time that a brigade has been stationed permanently outside Germany,” he said. Pistorius thanked the soldiers and personnel mainly for their “volunteer service, courage and pioneering spirit”. However, until the new brigade has a full operational structure, some time will pass. According to plans, this will happen in 2027. Proper preparation is needed because the male and female soldiers will remain in the country for a longer period of time.

On the Lithuanian side, the German military presence in the country causes feelings of relief. Yes, it is done for the protection of NATO’s eastern axis, but the geographical position of the country has “explosive” characteristics. Lithuania, like northeastern Poland, they are geographically confined between the heavily armed Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus. President Lukashenko, a close ally of Putin, has repeatedly threatened the West as a whole and not only after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. But since the attack on Crimea and the Dobas region in 2014, this border region considered an Achilles heel for NATO and the EU. Because if the Russian military occupied this narrow piece of land, the only land connection of Central Europe would be sealed with the three allied countries, namely Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.