Pasewalk/Vilnius (dpa/mv) – According to a commander, the Bundeswehr needs more modern weapon systems and radio equipment for its operations in Lithuania. The first six months of the NATO mission in the Baltic state showed that, said Christian Nawrat, commander of Panzergrenadierbrigade 41, on Thursday in Pasewalk (West Pomerania-Greifswald). Nawrat and the military commissioner of the German Bundestag, Eva Högl (SPD), welcomed a good 250 Panzergrenadiers from the brigade, who had been deployed in Rukla in Lithuania for six months, at a roll call. There they helped in a NATO unit with 1,600 people under Lithuanian command to secure the so-called eastern flank of the alliance. Shortly after the start of the operation in February, Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia’s annexation efforts, which intend to declare four Ukrainian regions as Russian territory, are changing the security needs of the Allies even further, Navrat explained. “We only know to a limited extent how Putin’s system works and what decisions they come to.” Together with units from Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, the Panzergrenadiers practiced combat missions, including with the Marder armored personnel carrier and Norwegian main battle tanks. The 250 soldiers have now been replaced by a unit from North Rhine-Westphalia, and in 2023 soldiers from Hagenow will go to Lithuania.
The commander has also maintained a command post with around 100 soldiers from Brigade 41 in Lithuania for a few weeks.
“Our presence is of immense importance for the Baltic States,” said Defense Commissioner Högl. The SPD politician reminded that the emergency services at the beginning of February even lacked underwear in the cold. Since Russia’s horrific attack on Ukraine, however, the perception of the Bundeswehr in Germany has changed. National and alliance defense has again become a necessity for many.
