A joint defense military exercise by Lithuania and Poland, April 26, 2024.Image: AP
April 23, 2026, 5:28 p.mApril 23, 2026, 5:28 p.m
In Lithuania, the parliament has decided to build a new military training area in the area of the so-called Suwalki Gap.
The people’s representatives of the Baltic EU and NATO country approved a law submitted by the Ministry of Defense that would allow the construction of a military training area with a… Area of more than 14,000 hectares in Kapciamiestis. Exercises with up to around 4,000 soldiers should then be possible there from 2028.
Lithuania borders both Belarus, which is closely allied with Russia, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea. A narrow NATO corridor runs between these two countries from Lithuania west to Poland – the so-called Suwalki Gap. It is considered militarily important: in an emergency, Russia could cut off the Baltic states from the rest of NATO territory by taking over them.
Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas emphasized that the Expansion of the training infrastructure is necessary in order to strengthen the operational readiness of the army and security on NATO’s eastern flank. Lithuania is currently establishing a new armed forces division. In the future, an armored brigade of the German Bundeswehr will also be permanently stationed in the Baltic state, which feels threatened because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago. Only recently did Russia threaten the Baltic states with an unspecified escalation.
The construction of the training area is not without controversy: there are reservations about the project from residents and environmentalists who have already carried out several protest actions. There was also a small demonstration in front of the parliament in Vilnius during the vote. (sda/dpa/jul)