On Monday, Lithuania began the construction of a military base in Rudninkai, near the Belarusian border, which, when completed by the end of 2027, is to accommodate up to 4,000 combat-ready German soldiers. It will be the first permanent deployment of the German army abroad since World War II.
Germany committed to deploying troops in the NATO and European Union member country that borders Russia last year. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius compared the decision to sending Allied forces into West Germany during the Cold War to defend Western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack.
His Lithuanian counterpart, Raimundas Vaikšnoras, estimated that the Baltic country will spend more than one billion euros (about 25 billion crowns) on the development of the base in the next three years, making it one of the largest construction projects in its history. “The brigade will act as a reassurance to our population and a deterrent against Russia,” he added.
Not far – only about 20 kilometers – from the base are the borders of Russia’s biggest ally, Belarus. Rudninkai will house up to four thousand soldiers, store and maintain tanks and other equipment, and firing ranges of all sizes. Another thousand or so German military and civilian contractors will be stationed elsewhere in Lithuania.
