Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 47 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
Exclusive to OpEd News:
General News    H3'ed 5/5/21

Citizens of the Baltic States are not happy with foreign military

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   1 comment
Message Antanas Tubelis

Militarization of the Baltic region has an increasing impact on the population.

NATO exercises in the Baltic States are being carried out one after another. Shooting in the streets, broken fences and beating of locals are the signs of NATO exercises regularly held in the Baltic States.

It is well known that the largest NATO exercise "Defender Europe 21", will soon take place in Europe.

The upcoming exercise will cover 30 training areas in 12 European countries and will cover a vast territory from the Balkans to the Black Sea. Up to 30 thousand servicemen from 26 countries will take part in the training.

Despite the fact that the exercise will take place mainly in the South of Europe, some major events are planned to be held on the territory of the Baltic States. In addition, large-scale troop movements through the territories of the Baltic States should be expected.

It can be assumed that there will be a huge number of combat vehicles on the roads of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The Armed Forces officials admit that during the maneuvers, damage to roads, forests and fields is unavoidable. This happens all the time.

NATO exercises always cause a great discomfort to local residents. Many exercises are held right in the cities. People often complain about convoys of armored vehicles on the roads of cities and shooting near private houses, kindergartens, schools and hospitals. For example, such a situation was near Klaipeda during the "Brave Griffin - 2018" exercise. Many citizens then opposed military exercises within the city.

Unfortunately, NATO's exercises within the settlements can really threaten the life and health of citizens. In April 2019, not far from Adazi military base, an artillery shell suddenly fell and exploded into the garden of a local resident.

In addition, local people are very unhappy with the environmental pollution. So, in March 2019, there were many complaints about garbage around Adazi military base. The area was littered with disposable utensils, plastic bottles and bags of field rations.

The fact that foreign servicemen often do not behave in the appropriate way is well known to everyone. Such cases cause the strongest discontent among the locals. There are known cases of drunkenness, brawl, fights with local residents, police arrests, traffic accidents, property damage and even desecration of the national flag.

Such state of affairs increases the discontent of the local population. In the future, an increase in the number of foreign troops in the region and an increase in the number of exercises are foreseen, that can lead to protests of the local population against NATO exercises.

At the same time, according to surveys among the inhabitants of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, from 40 to 45 percent of the population do not associate NATO with protection of the country, or even view NATO as a threat. And these figures show a steady growth trend.

The Baltic Word

Must Read 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Antanas Tubelis Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Born in Kaunas in 1981

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Freedom of speech as a threat to national security of the Baltic States

Nato membership of the Baltic States: incompetence and degradation of national security

NATO's actions in the Baltic States can not be assessed as defensive maneuvers

Invasion of Ukraine: Russian preemptive strike that spoiled plans for further NATO expansion

The Baltic States overreacted to the military exercise in Russia

Citizens of the Baltic States are not happy with foreign military

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend