Lithuania expects additional NATO forces in case of Russian provocations

Lithuanian President's Chief National Security Advisor Deividas Matulionis stated that Lithuania expects NATO to deploy additional forces and air defense systems in the country if Russian provocations create a critical security threat. Matulionis assured that the alliance takes warnings about the increased risk of Russian provocations in the Baltic region and other parts of Europe in the coming months very seriously.

"We issued a warning, and the alliance takes it very seriously. If all indicators point to a critical situation, I have no doubt that additional forces and air defense assets will be allocated," he said.

Leaders of NATO's eastern flank countries recently issued public warnings, citing intelligence indicating that Russia is preparing provocations on their territory. In Lithuania, authorities have identified critical transport and energy infrastructure as potential targets and recently tightened security measures at these sites.

Matulionis noted that provocations could intensify as the Duma elections approach and take various forms – from so-called false flag operations aimed at blaming Ukraine to acts of sabotage similar to those observed in Europe in recent years. He added that the threat extends not only to the Baltic states but also to other countries providing strong support to Ukraine.

At the same time, he ruled out the possibility of Russia preparing an invasion of a NATO member state. "There is certainly no information about a buildup of troops on our border, so the question of military invasion is excluded. Its probability is practically zero," Matulionis said.

It is recalled that Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski previously suggested that Russia could organize a false flag operation using Ukrainian-made drones. Meanwhile, Latvia has strengthened protection of its critical infrastructure due to possible Russian provocations.