Residents are worried about a possible war in Ukraine: Lithuania has updated its mobilization plans and beyond
Kudirka Naumiestis in Šakiai district is separated from Russia only by a stream. Until recently, the town of Širvinta stood in the fields belonging to the Kaliningrad region. During World War II, the city was swept from the face of the earth by the Red Army – it was not rebuilt.
And now that the aggressive neighbor nearby is reminiscent of more than just historical monuments. Locals say they heard powerful explosions on the Russian side yesterday:
“It simply came to our notice then that these Russians were maneuvering. In a word, uncomfortable, especially when maneuvers begin, there are no windows here. The network is shaking.
Residents of Kudirka Naumiestis are anxiously following the news about the threat of war from Ukraine:
“It simply came to our notice then. If it is, it will be bad, because the war is different now. “
“When you don’t ask for knowledge, it’s safe, but when you ask, it’s scary.”
“The Russians may be attacked.”
In other cities, people hope to avoid war, at least in Lithuania:
“If there is a war, Russia will fight with Ukraine, and we… As they say, if the fire burns, the sparks will fly, but Lithuania will not be in big trouble.”
“I am afraid. I’m not seeing. My parents’ Dad was at war, but I really was. ”
“Bus is like a bus. There will be nothing here because we are going through something else. Still, there are no solutions here. ”
“There may be no war, but there will be a lot of Zion. There will be a lot of people affected. “
“It simply came to our notice then. The Russians will definitely not take any risks. “
And although Lithuanians are afraid of war, they say that if necessary, they would defend their homeland:
“If I gave a good weapon, I would go to fight for Lithuania. We will give the Russians a bone. “
“It simply came to our notice then. There is no language here – someone bar. I don’t know what my state should be. “
However, the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces Valdemaras Rupšys reassures that there is currently no direct threat to Lithuania.
“We are members of NATO, certainly our legal status is not like that, now Ukraine has no military allies without a neutral country. We are members of the world’s largest defense alliance, which is several times more powerful than Russia, “says V. Rupšys.
“Without a doubt, everyone would stand to defend Lithuania. Because if it were not defended, NATO itself would fail. By defending Lithuania, NATO would defend itself. And I think Russia knows this very well. Russia has more interests in Ukraine than the West. The West has more interests in Lithuania than Russia, ”comments political scientist Kęstutis Girnius.
Political scientist Vytautas Bruveris also says that there is no need to blow apocalyptic trumpets of war, but according to him, the challenge for Lithuania would be great if Russia managed to implement the worst case scenario in Ukraine.
“Now, still the core state and the root state, the central node in all this political policy is” Ukraine, and if the Russians managed to tear it down, if the Russians managed to overthrow it and survive on their own, Russia’s dictatorship will survive as much as possible. “Bruveris says.
However, the government is taking action now. Announces that it has updated its mobilization plans, although it does not disclose details about them.
It also approved a thirteen-year strategy for preparing Lithuanians for civil resistance in cases of peace, war and mobilization, even occupation.
“The name of the strategy may sometimes be misleading, because we understand that the country’s employment and society are opposed to civic resistance, but any idea has a slightly different observation,” said Arvydas Anušauskas, Minister of National Defense.
The strategy stipulates that every citizen of the country must be determined to resist aggression and occupation and to prevent threats. And the resistance itself is divided into unarmed and armed.
“It is the development of resilience of citizens that is not possible for a potential aggressor, for example, to carry out information attacks and cyber attacks. The point, perhaps, in that one word, is resilience. Societies, business states, ”says A. Anušauskas.
The strategy envisages preparing citizens for resistance in peace: their resilience and will will be strengthened, and knowledge and practical skills will be provided.
“The strength of the people in the conditions of any crisis will be evidenced by the strength of the state,” says A. Anušauskas.
According to political scientist Laurynas Jonavičius, it is time for such a strategy.
“We have to take action and show signs that we are seeing what is happening and that we are ready for the worst case scenario. Here’s the old saying that get ready for the worst – expect the best, it really works. And additionally, it acts as a deterrent, ”comments L. Jonavičius.
The Minister of National Defense hopes that the strategic goal of increasing the number of citizens defending the country by arms will increase from four to seven out of ten. True, this strategy will have to be approved by the Seimas.