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PA P E R
S-300 range 150-200 km
S-400 range 400 km
Blockade of sea routes
Blockade of the Suwalki gap
Russian Anti-Access/Area
Denial capabilities in
Kaliningrad Region
sea and air routes or by the narrow land strip on the border of Lithuania and Poland. For example,
in the Kaliningrad region, Russia has deployed the S-300V and S-400 air defence systems which
are capable to destroy air targets, like aircraft and ballistic missiles, with a range of 100 and 400
km respectively. With these actions, Russia aims to deter NATO from implementing its collective
defence commitments as well as prevent Allied military support in case of Russian aggression.
In the vicinity of Lithuania and other NATO countries, Russia regularly conducts snap combat readiness checks which are lacking in transparency, during which large number of troops are
activated to test their abilities to conduct long-range deployments, joint operations and actions in
unfamiliar environments.
The security situation is further aggravated by Russia’s unilateral withdrawal from various
arms control initiatives which promote mutual transparency and trust. In 2008, after declaring
a moratorium on its involvement in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Russia
stopped the exchange of information among the participants of the Treaty. In 2014, Russia unilaterally terminated the 2001 bilateral Lithuanian-Russian agreement, on Additional Confidence
and Security Building Measures. The agreement was dedicated to strengthening regional security
and stability, and building trust between the two countries and their armed forces. The growing
Russian military activities near the borders of Lithuania and other NATO countries, as well as Russia’s withdrawal from the various agreements on confidence and security building measures, only
increases the possibility for various incidents to occur, while the security situation in the region
becomes even less predictable. This type of military activity is regularly used by Russia to test the
security level of the Baltic states’ airspace or impede shipping in Lithuania’s Exclusive Economic
Zone.
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