Defense spending grew 21 percent in Lithuania. In Europe, the Baltic state lagged only behind Romania (50 percent) and Cyprus (22 percent), according to new figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
Russia‘s defense spending was down 20 percent last year.
Last year Lithuania reached NATO‘s defense spending target of 2 percent GDP. The Baltic country’s defense budget stands at 873 million euros this year.
Another series of Russian provocations involving the Baltic states, related to the Ukraine war, makes so-called hybrid war scenario more and more realistic within the region of the Baltic Sea. The incidents that took place so far, such as the Internet existence of “People’s Republic of Vilnius” or the hooligan attacks on the Polish Embassy in Vilnius, seem to suggest that the Kremlin is going to use the Polish minority of Lithuania, along with the tough history of the Polish-Lithuanian relations, as the basis for its activities, aim of which would be to destabilize the region. […]
Chief advisor to the president on interior policy Virginija Būdienė says that Lithuania’s security increased after the NATO Summit in Wales. […]
