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Disinfo: Lithuania is buying unnecessary weapons to feed the American military industry

Summary

It is hard to understand why Lithuania is buying expensive “Javelin” complexes. They could be used against tanks, but no country has plans to attack Lithuania. The country is doing it for NATO allies and to feed the American military industry.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Lithuania and US presence in Europe.

The “Javelin” complex is the traditional weapon of the Lithuanian army. Lithuania was the first country in Europe which bought it from the US in 2001. Procurement of weapons systems is a sovereign choice linked to the assessment in national security.

In 2017 National Security Strategy Lithuania stated that:

“in the current period the main threat for the security of the Republic of Lithuania is posed by aggressive actions of the Russian Federation violating the security architecture based on universal rules and principles of international law and peaceful co-existence”.

Such assessment is in line with NATO, which said in 2018 that:

"Russia’s aggressive actions, including the threat and use of force to attain political goals, challenge the Alliance and are undermining Euro-Atlantic security and the rules-based international order".

See similar examples of disinformation: Lithuania is a hostage of American interests in Eastern Europe; NATO uses a false “Russian threat” as pretext to expand its presence in near Russian borders.

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publication/media

Sputnik Lithuania (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 225
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 25/12/2020
  • Language/target audience: Lithuanian
  • Country: Lithuania, US
  • Keywords: security threat, Military, Lithuanian military, NATO

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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