Germany deploys troops on Russian border for the first time since World War II

Germany has decided to send 4,800 military personnel to Lithuania on the border with Russia. This is reported by Sky News.

The agreement between Germany and Lithuania will be the first permanent deployment of German troops since the Second World War. A German brigade of about 4,800 soldiers will be on alert by 2027.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius compared it to the historic agreement to station Allied troops in West Germany, which were sent to defend western Europe in the event of a Soviet attack during the Cold War.

The eastern flank has now been pushed to the east, and it is Germany's duty to protect it," Pistorius said.

Most of the contingent will arrive in Lithuania in 2025 and 2026.

The speed of the project clearly shows that Germany has grasped the new security reality," the German defence minister added.

Germany already leads a NATO multinational battlegroup in Lithuania of about 1,000 troops that will be integrated into the new brigade.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO promised to strengthen its presence on the eastern borders of the alliance's territory.