Life goes on in Lithuanian border town of Vištytis as troops join border patrols

In Vištytis, a small town in southwestern Lithuania on the border with Russia's Kaliningrad region, daily life remains calm even though Lithuanian army troops have been helping border guards patrol since early October. Around 100 soldiers are expected to stay until mid-November. Government officials describe the move as a precaution against a possible new wave of mobilisation in Russia, while stressing that the threat level along the border has not risen.

Stepped-up surveillance

Rimantas Kundreckis, commander of the Vištytis border guard post, told the news agency BNS that potential deserters might try to cross illegally on land and on water, so surveillance has been increased on land, on water and in the air. The troop deployment is estimated to have almost doubled the frequency of patrols. The Lithuanian-Russian border, including the edge of territorial waters, runs for almost 300 km through plains, forests and bodies of water.

In Vištytis, a lake separates Lithuania from Kaliningrad region. It is monitored by cameras and a border guard boat. According to Kundreckis, the tighter monitoring has reduced accidental crossings, since people fishing or relaxing sometimes failed to notice they were nearing Russian territory. Guards can now warn them in advance by phone or from a patrol boat. The post's latest recorded violation was at the start of the year, when two Russian citizens walked across the frozen lake. About 10 similar cases are typically recorded annually.

Soldiers and residents

Troops from the Second Territorial Unit of the Darius and Girėnas National Defence Volunteer Forces (KASP) are among those taking part. Company commander Leonas Ruzgas said the border guards use technology the army does not, so the mission lets soldiers learn and share experience. Troops rotate about every four to five days.

Local resident Sandra, 31, said nothing has really changed: people are not stocking up on supplies or preparing shelters, and only occasional military vehicles are visible. Farmer Virginijus Dapkus called the authorities' warnings scaremongering, while 93-year-old former deportee Pranas Stankevičius said he understands the controls, because a border is a border.