Lithuanian Army Commander: Moscow in Despair May Strike Strategic Objects

Raimundas Vaikšnoras, photo from his Facebook

The Commander of the Lithuanian Army, Raimundas Vaikšnoras, believes that Vladimir Putin, being in despair, may take certain steps, writes Delfi.lt

"We must also be prepared for the fact that strategic objects, especially energy ones, (...) if they are disabled or damaged, this will likely have the greatest impact on society," Raimundas Vaikšnoras said on Žinių radijas on Thursday.

He added that in such a case, discontent in society might arise. However, according to the army commander, state institutions exist to ensure stability and security for citizens.

"The Minister of Internal Affairs has already contacted us, and jointly with the Public Security Service, the army has allocated resources to strengthen the protection of certain strategic objects. Until the PSS, as they say, strengthens its capabilities, because they also need to recruit additional personnel, one of our duties by law is to provide assistance upon request," he noted.

According to Raimundas Vaikšnoras, recent Russian rhetoric targeting the Baltic states and Poland likely has a specific purpose.

"Because for now, these are just words, but besides words, even today it's hard to say that individual incidents in the airspace, incursions, and other cases were just coincidences. But look, we have not been living in such close proximity to Russia for the first year, Russia constantly tries to break relations with us in one way or another — and not only with Lithuania, but also with Latvia and Estonia. And these disinformation campaigns being waged today are perhaps aimed simply at undermining trust in state institutions, in the army, and in the state itself," Vaikšnoras said.

The army commander noted that these are Russian propaganda tools aimed at poisoning people's minds, sowing fear and panic.

"Combining several different incidents into one picture shows that the Russians never sleep and probably never did. Although it might have seemed to us that at some point they tried to follow the path of democracy, their goal is to split society and undermine trust," he said.

There are various opinions on why Russia took such a step. Analysts and NATO specialists, according to Raimundas Vaikšnoras, note that the aggressor is most likely not succeeding in the war against Ukraine, the Russians are losing initiative, and the Ukrainians "are fighting back well."

"It seems that somewhere Vladimir Putin is in a state of despair. Perhaps we don't yet know what he's planning, but he might be preparing something. And these signals, which for now are indirect, compel us to be more vigilant," the army commander stated.

He assured that the Lithuanian army is always ready, possesses significant capabilities, carries out daily duties, and is prepared to provide assistance both in case of a crisis and in any other unforeseen circumstances.

"I think all of this is primarily addressed to our society, so that it does not relax, knows where we are, in what geographical position we live, and who our neighbors are," Raimundas Vaikšnoras noted.

• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0
• 0