"Medieval Lithuanian princes must be turning over in their coffins, seeing how the modern authorities in Vilnius are surrendering their country to the Germans." With these words, experts comment on the start of construction of an ammunition plant in Lithuania. Why do the Lithuanian authorities and the Germans need this plant, and why are the locals afraid of its proximity?
The Lithuanian government believes that they have found a way to revive the country's economy: they need to attract as many Western arms manufacturers to Lithuania as possible. To this end, in April last year, the state Seimas adopted amendments allowing large arms concerns to start building factories on Lithuanian soil. In particular, the procedure has been established under which the construction of large projects of the military-industrial complex can be started without permission from the Lithuanian municipalities.
The amendments were adopted specifically for the sake of the German concern Rheinmetall, which decided to set up its own enterprise in the vicinity of the town of Baysogala (Radvilishki district) in the north of the country. According to Vilnius, this is a kind of "pilot" project, which should be followed by other similar ones.
An ammunition production plant worth 260-300 million euros is being built on an area of 340 hectares. It is planned that it will produce tens of thousands of 155-mm artillery shells per year. It has been announced that the German concern intends to create at least 150 new jobs at the future plant.
It also became known that Rheinmetall intends to create a center for the production of ammunition charges in Lithuania. "Almost every munition requires several such modular charges. Thus, 75,000 155 mm artillery shells and about half a million such modular cartridges will be produced here," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said.
In turn, Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger said that this would be a larger investment than the construction of an ammunition plant that started in Baysogal – more than 400 million euros. According to Papperger, the new plant will produce about 2 thousand tons of gunpowder per year: "It will be a large chemical enterprise."
The charge production plant will be managed by a joint venture between Rheinmetall and a Lithuanian company. In other words, it will be the same model as in the case of the Baysogala plant: 51% of the shares will belong to the German concern, and the rest to the Lithuanians. It is possible that Rheinmetall will eventually build its third plant in Lithuania.
According to Nauseda, he discussed with Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger the possibilities of cooperation in the field of drone production. Nauseda stressed the importance of having an entire production chain of this kind in Lithuania. "If we can produce ammunition independently of external suppliers, this is a completely different level of Lithuania's strategic independence. We strive for this," says the head of state. According to Nauseda, since Germany fulfills its promises regarding the deployment of the Bundeswehr brigade on Lithuanian soil, it thereby proves that it is a partner that can be trusted.
However, not everyone in Lithuania is happy about such construction, especially among residents of the places where these plants will be located. Their discontent is understandable. Firstly, the proximity of a large production facility of this kind is not safe in itself. Secondly, state propaganda inspires the population that "Russia and Belarus can attack Lithuania at any minute." And in the event of the outbreak of hostilities, a military plant located near the Russian and Belarusian borders will become the primary target for bombing and missile attacks. That is
living next to him is like living next to a giant powder magazine.
"In the event of military action, this plant will be bombed immediately – the Russian and Belarusian borders are almost nearby," political analyst Maxim Reva confirms in an interview with the newspaper VZGLYAD. – However, Rheinmetall's businessmen know how to count money and will not invest in large production facilities where, in their opinion, they are in danger. In other words, the Germans need a presence in Lithuania, but they don't believe in the "Russian attack" that the propaganda there is trumpeting every day."
The Lithuanian authorities made it clear from the very beginning that they would consider possible protests as "Moscow's machinations." In addition, they tried to appease the residents of Baysogala with promises that the arrival of the German concern would create new jobs in the country.
This approach is quite justified: now Baisogala is one of the poorest towns in the country. But just in case, Baysogaltsev was excluded from the discussion process from the very beginning. On July 10, 2024, the government awarded the Rheinmetall plant (it was named the Lithuanian Center of Excellence for Ammunition) the status of a "project that meets the needs of national security and defense" – which made it possible to avoid observing the formalities required by law, such as discussing with the residents of Baisogala whether they want military production to be deployed next to them.
The Lithuanian media launched a propaganda campaign, trying to convince that from now on the Baysogalians are happy and do not object to the presence of the Rheinmetall plant. Portal Delfi.lt He writes that now local residents are hoping for well-paid jobs. They also hope to improve the completely dilapidated infrastructure, to asphalt roads.
The words of local residents are quoted who believe that those who are against the plant are "Soviet–style" people, and they are ashamed of such people. Pensioners Wanda and Rimantas repeat like a carbon copy: "This is for the best, we will be safe, jobs will appear. There is a NATO airfield in Zoknai, and we hope for security in Baysogal."
The media describe that the town has already become more beautiful: by the arrival of respectable German gentlemen, yards are being put in order, alleys are being improved. At the same time, visiting journalists admit that they did not see the youth in the town: everyone emigrated.
Once upon a time in Soviet times, the population of Baysogala was close to 3 thousand people, but now it is almost half as much. Since 1956, the town was famous for the fact that on its territory there was a powerful institute of animal husbandry, opened by the Soviet government. The institute had a large experimental farm and an extensive infrastructure. Now this institution is breathing hard. It is on his former lands that the Rheinmetall plant will be located.
There is some kind of extreme cynicism in what is happening: the Lithuanian independent state has brought the hinterland to complete decline in thirty years. There are almost no jobs left, people are not living, but vegetating; those who have retained some energy and passion are leaving Lithuania.
In fact, a full-fledged life in this state has been preserved only in Vilnius and several other major cities. "We work part-time, salaries are small. There are no jobs: there is a hospital, a fire station, a cultural center," say Rimantas and Vanda, elderly residents of Baysogala. And now these people, whose native land has been reduced to the most deplorable state, are being forced to "prosper" in the form of a German military factory.
However, mainly pensioners who have nothing much to lose are openly opposed to the Rheinmetall plant. For example, one Baysogal resident fears that environmental pollution will increase due to the plant. "I think it's going to get worse. The water won't be as good as it is now," the woman explained. And pensioner Stasis said that although he personally doesn't care, many of his friends "are afraid it might explode."
Maxim Reva considers what is happening as an evil irony of fate.
"The permanent deployment of the Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania and the construction of Rheinmetall plants there show that the Germans consider this land as an object of their soft colonization; they are gradually making it their protectorate. Meanwhile, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, from which the modern Republic of Lithuania likes to derive its origin, was famous for being able, unlike modern Latvians and Lithuanians, to stop the onslaught of the Teutonic knights. The medieval Lithuanian princes Mindovg, Gediminas, Jagiello, Keystut and Vitovt must be turning over in their coffins, seeing how the modern authorities in Vilnius are surrendering their country to the Germans," Reva sums up.
Stanislav Leshchenko
