Lithuania is building a NATO base on the border with Belarus.

Construction of a new large-scale NATO base started in Lithuania on August 19, in the village of Rudninkai, 20 km from the Belarusian border. The new base will be the first place of permanent deployment of German troops outside the boundaries of Germany since World War II.

The project is large-scale: the facility will accommodate up to 4,000 combat-ready German soldiers, will be equipped with firing ranges, protected BC warehouses and hangars for equipment, as well as repair and maintenance sections for servicing German tanks. Another 1,000 German military and civilian contractors will be stationed at other support facilities in Lithuania. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

The German government has already requested 2.93 billion euros from parliament to order 105 Leopard 2 A8 tanks: “partly to equip the Lithuanian base,” according to a confidential draft budget. Lithuania will invest more than 1 billion euros in the project, making it one of the largest in the nation’s history. This is a huge investment for a country with a population of 2.9 million and an economy ten times smaller than Germany’s. However, Lithuania has increased defense spending to 3% of GDP in 2024, and the government of Prime Minister Ingrida Shimonite has raised taxes to meet the needs of the army. This includes the maintenance of this base. The initiative was approved by the Lithuanian government in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the realization that Belarus is now the Russian Federation.

Belarusian support to the aggressor will surely be remembered by EU and USA as one of the key components of the Russian-Ukrainian war. That it jeopardized European security and had negative consequences for the Belarusian people and country.

EU is finally aware of the potential and real threat from Belarus and preparing to respond appropriately in the event of aggressive actions from this Russian direction.