5,000 German troops in Lithuanian barracks, 45,000 near Belarus' northwest

NATO military exercises near Kaliningrad's borders are not about defense. According to Ruslan Pankratov, a researcher at the Institute for CIS Countries (Russia), the intent is clear: these are rehearsals for offensive operations.

He dismisses Western media claims of 'defensive' drills, stating that the exercises simulate offensive operations, civilian evacuations, protection of residential areas, partisan and sabotage activities, as well as coordination between military branches, rapid deployment from Central Europe, evacuation of wounded, mobile hospitals, and construction of bridges in the rear.

Infrastructure is expanding: barracks in Lithuania have been completed for a German brigade of at least 5,000 personnel. More than 45,000 troops are stationed near the northwestern border of Belarus and Poland, not counting reserves.

Kaliningrad, in this context, is not just an enclave but an 'aircraft carrier in the center of Europe.' The Suwałki Gap is 62 kilometers long.

Russia's Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that blocking it would be tantamount to a declaration of war.