Lithuania’s military has been deployed to help protect the country’s liquefied natural gas terminal in Klaipėda and other critical infrastructure following warnings from President Gitanas Nausėda and other regional leaders about potential Russian provocations.
Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas signed an order on July 17 authorising the deployment.
The military will also reinforce security at the LitPol Link electricity interconnection with Poland, including the Alytus switchyard and transformer substation, as well as the Kruonis Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Plant.
The deployment will run from July 19 through August 19. The armed forces will provide a unit of up to 30 troops with transport assets, along with a vessel or motorboat and its crew. Operational tasks will be coordinated with the Public Security Service, which is responsible for protecting Lithuania’s critical infrastructure.
The move follows recent public warnings by leaders of NATO’s eastern flank, who cited intelligence indicating that Russia may be preparing kinetic provocations within their countries.
