Lithuania seeks troop deployment to Kaliningrad border after Latvian security breaches

Lithuania's interior minister Martynas Katelynas asked defence minister Robertas Kaunas to station Lithuanian armed forces along the frontier with Russia's Kaliningrad exclave. The request follows two incidents on Oct. 6 in neighboring Latvia where illegal migrants were escorted across the Latvia-Belarus border and masked individuals later crossed, stealing equipment. Katelynas said the deployment is a preventive step amid signs that Russia could announce a mobilization and to keep the border calm.

He emphasized there is no immediate danger and that the border situation remains stable. The move coincides with Lithuania's parliament beginning to repeal the constitutional ban on nuclear weapons and with NATO expanding its Baltic presence, including a permanent German brigade. Kaliningrad has become a flashpoint, with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently warning of possible nuclear use if NATO attempts to isolate the region. The troop deployment aims to bolster border security as regional tensions rise.