German chargé: brigade in Lithuania aims to deter potential aggression
Katrin aus dem Siepen
July 12, Pozirk. The deployment of a German Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania in 2027 aims to deter aggressors and defend the Baltic NATO allies in the event of an attack, including potential aggression originating from Belarus, said Katrin aus dem Siepen, Germany’s chargé d’affaires in Belarus.
The diplomat made this statement in a video commentary published by the German embassy as part of a project aimed at explaining Berlin’s official security policy to Belarusians.
“Peace in Europe is under threat because of Russia,” she noted. “This has been made clear by Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine. People in both Germany and the Baltic states are feeling this, and the brigade is a defensive response.”
The brigade, consisting of about 5,000 Bundeswehr soldiers, will be deployed for an extended period in 2027 at two different locations in Lithuania, the diplomat added.
The diplomat stressed that Germany views Lithuania’s security as inseparable from its own, describing the deployment of the brigade as a key contribution to peace, security and stability across the region.
The Bundeswehr’s 45th armored brigade, established in April 2025, will be based in Rūdninkai, south of Vilnius near the Belarusian border, and in Rukla, near Kaunas.
In February 2022, Russia started a full-scale war against Ukraine in which the Belarusian authorities supported the Kremlin, allowing Russian troops to attack Ukraine from Belarus on multiple occasions and supplying arms to Moscow.
