RT reported that the construction of a German military base in NATO member Lithuania has just begun.
The Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced that the country has begun building a military base between Russia's Kaliningrad and Belarus. When completed, the base will be a German military base, about 20 km from the Belarus border, near Russia's Kaliningrad region.
The two NATO member states signed a deal to build the base in December 2023, during a meeting between German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his then-reporting counterpart Lithuania, Arvydas Anusauskas. According to the plan, the German army will deploy its first permanent troops abroad since the end of World War II.
It is expected that by the end of 2027, the German defenders will have up to 4,800 combat-ready soldiers and 200 civilian experts, equipped with heavy weapons and supporting infrastructure.
Known as the 42nd Heavy Armored Brigade, this unit will include three combat battalions. Only two of them will be German, including an armored battalion and a heavy infantry battalion. The remaining battalion will be a multinational.
Speaking at the time, Minister Pistorius described future deployment as a way for Germany to "accept leadership responsibility" in NATO.
In a post on the X network on August 19, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense wrote that the country "has just launched its largest military project ever at Rudninkai, building a base to house 80% of the German Brigade".
The post praised the "unprecedented project" to "strengthen regional security and reaffirm Lithuania's commitment to NATO's collective defense".
Reuters quoted Lithuania Commander-in-Chief Raimundas Vaiksnoras as saying: "The German Brigade will operate to reassure our people and to deter, to repel Russia."
However, speaking at the launching ceremony, Mr. Vaiksnoras admitted that Vilnius will have to spend more than 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) over the next three years to develop the basis - this is a "major investment" for a country of 2.9 million people.
Lithuania has increased defense spending to 3% of GDP this year. The government increases taxes to cover this additional expenditure.
Germany currently commands a multinational NATO pioneering force stationed in the Baltic country.
Russia has repeatedly stated that NATO's approach to the Russian border is a direct threat to its national security and will have to respond accordingly.
