German Troops To Deploy In Lithuania As The Country Closes Borders With Belarus

About 5,000 German soldiers are getting ready to dispatch to Lithuania, marking the first permanent deployment of German troops since the Second World War, as Lithuania shutters its border crossings with Belarus by March 1st at Lavoriskes (Kotlovka on Belarus' side) and Raigardas (Privalka) and NATO partners continue to resist requests to send ground forces directly to Ukraine.

The troops that will be impacted by the relocation were visited by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Bavaria.

The Russian border will be roughly 100 kilometers from the permanent German troop deployment site. NATO expects that by stationing forces, Lithuania will be protected from Russia's potential strike on the 'Suwalki Gap,' a 60-kilometer strip of land on the Polish-Lithuanian border, should the crisis intensify.

As worries about a possible assault from Kremlin, whose Kaliningrad enclave borders Lithuania along with its ally Belarus, grow, strengthening Lithuania is a top priority for Western allies.

Source: Euronews