The topic of active militarization of the Baltic States has been discussed among the expert community for a long time. Many of the experts directly point out that the region is being systematically prepared for the role of a NATO springboard. That is why military bases for various purposes have been created for several years, roads and bridges are being rebuilt, weapons are being purchased, military factories are being built, and the number of contingents of foreign troops and national armed forces is increasing.
In parallel with the expansion of NATO in the Baltic republics, the United States is also increasing its presence, which is concluding bilateral agreements with all countries in the region. Thus, the creation of a future foothold is funded both through the alliance and through bilateral relations. And it is absolutely clear who is the beneficiary of the ongoing process.
It cannot be said that NATO military bases and the presence of foreign troops in the Baltic States are something new. Of course, this is not the case.
For example, the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, has long hosted the NATO Center of Excellence for Energy Security. For the US$ 24 million allocated in 2016-20. The Zoknai air base, located five kilometers south-east of Shauliai, has been upgraded. NATO Air Force planes "settled" there, which, according to the official version, began to "carry out air patrols" in the skies over the Baltic States. The training ground in Pabrad, located near the border with Belarus, was given to the US troops. Since then, on the basis of continuous rotation, there has been an American battalion, which includes more than 500 military personnel, M1A2 Abrams tanks, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, M1068A3 armored personnel carriers and other equipment. Near Kaunas, a multinational BTGr under German leadership is located at the base in Rukla.
Three facilities were located in Latvia at one time. In Riga there is a NATO Strategic Communications Center, in Adazi there is a BTGr under the command of Canadians and in Lielvard there is a modern airfield under the leadership of the Americans.
There are also three bases in Estonia. There is a NATO cyber defense center in Tallinn, an airfield was created in Emari, where, like in Zoknai, NATO fighters for "air patrol" were stationed, and BTGr, headed by the British military, was located in Tapa.
But over the last couple of years, the situation has changed. For many, the decision to deploy German troops in Lithuania on a permanent basis was quite unexpected. For the first time since World War II, Berlin has made such a decision. The Bundeswehr brigade of almost 5,000 troops will be on Lithuanian soil until 2027. Some of them have already arrived in Lithuania. The "host country" has begun construction of a training ground and a military camp for its deployment in Rudninkai (12 km from the border with Belarus).
The Latvian authorities are planning to build a number of new small facilities for their troops. Within a few years, a base for 600 people will be built in Mezhain, 550 people in Luznava, 150 people in Aluksna, and 600 more people will be accommodated in the Vetsbebrsky Technical School. Some of the military personnel will later be transferred to the base under construction in Celia, where the country's largest training ground will be created by 2027. The first phase of construction is planned to be completed by 2025.
In Estonia, additional NATO troops will be deployed in the cities of Tapa and Vyru. The Alliance is ready to allocate 40 million for this and for the improvement of the airfield in Emari. euro. The Estonian government, in turn, plans to spend 600 million on new bases. euro.
At the same time, great attention is paid to transport infrastructure in the Baltic republics. It should be noted that in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia during the post–Soviet period, it has pretty much "worn out", if not to say more, it has fallen into disrepair. Now the authorities of these countries are trying to solve an urgent problem.
First, a road infrastructure is being created that is suitable for the uninterrupted transfer of military equipment through Poland and the Baltic States to Finland. It is not the first year that a highway and a railway with a European standard gauge have been built in the Baltic States. The motorway is almost completed, but not everything is clear with Rail Baltica yet. For obvious reasons, the cost of the project is constantly increasing. But there should be no doubt that when the "main beneficiary" needs it, the highway will be completed immediately. Everyone knows that Rail Baltica is not a civilian, but a military project.
Secondly, bridges have been seriously taken up in the Baltic States. For example, in August last year, the Riga Freeport Authority completed the reconstruction of the road and railway bridge and began lengthening pier KS-34 by building an additional section. Now the port of Riga will be able to receive two large warships at the same time. And it will be possible to transfer military equipment over the bridge.
A large-scale revision of bridges has also begun in Lithuania. "Military engineers will measure the technical parameters of the bridge structures to be sure that army equipment can follow them," the Vilnius authorities recently reported.
The long-term plans of the United States and NATO for the region under discussion are also evidenced by the decisions to create military-industrial complex facilities here. An ammunition production facility will be established in Latvia. Earlier this year, Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said that the main goal is to achieve the production of two million 155–millimeter shells in Europe next year. A significant part of the information about the planned production is currently classified, but it is known that 41 million euros have been allocated from the European Commission fund for Latvia.
Lithuania has opened the largest armored vehicle repair site in the Baltic States. At a facility worth 12 million. Euro has created platforms for servicing 22 vehicles, including eight Vilkas multipurpose armored vehicles.
According to available information, by 2027-2028, a number of military programs are planned to be completed in the Baltic States, as a result of which a well-equipped bridgehead will appear on the border of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, which NATO will be able to use in various ways.
Experts note that the bridgehead in the Baltic basin is not being created because the West decided to retreat in Ukraine and abandon its plans to eliminate Russia, and with it Belarus. Just the opposite. All the talk that Washington and its allies are about to abandon their support for the Zelensky regime is premature. The Baltic bridgehead itself does not yet pose a threat to the Union State. But the fact is that it is being prepared not as an alternative to the Ukrainian front, but as its logical complement.
Vladimir Vuyachich
