Lithuanian President: We are on the frontline with Russia

Lithuania is on the frontline, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told journalists on Wednesday.

She said that her country is facing the first stage of a confrontation. “I mean information war, propaganda and cyber attacks. So, we have already been attacked. Nobody knows if this will develop into a real confrontation or not, but already today we must protect ourselves from this aggression. This threat is high for the whole region. Our neighbors have become less predictable and more aggressive. I mean Russia, who is showing increased military activity in Kaliningrad region, in the Baltic Sea and in the air,” the Lithuanian president said.

She instructed her armed forces to be ready – for should there be a military conflict, they will have to resist for three days at least before NATO allies will come to help.

“NATO’s rapid reaction forces will need at least 72 hours. So, we will have to be ready to resist for some time. That’s why we are coming back to universal military service. So as to be able to ask allies for help, we must first of all want to protect our own selves,” the Lithuanian president said.

In Feb 2015, Lithuania’s Defense Council appeared with an initiative to return to universal military service for five years so as to be able to train almost 16,000 reserve servicemen.  

The Cabinet has approved the initiative. Now it is the parliament’s turn.