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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: UKR 1YR LITHUANIA WAR PREPS
HEADLINE: Russian Threat Forges a New Mentality in Lithuania
TEASER: Many Lithuanians see messages from Russia similar to those Ukrainians saw in the years and months leading up to the 2014 and 2022 assaults
PUBLISHED AT:
BYLINE: Ricardo Marquina
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Vilnius, Lithuania
VIDEOGRAPHER: Ricardo Marquina
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: LR, pcd
VIDEO SOURCE: VOA Original
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _x_
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Russia’s assault on Ukraine, now in its second year, has set off alarms in neighboring countries. Lithuania is redoubling efforts to prepare for a confrontation that many now see as more possible than ever. Jon Spier narrates this report by Ricardo Marquina in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. ]]
((VIDEO: Lithuanian army exercises, shooting, infantry. ORIGINAL VOA))
((NARRATOR))
Lithuanian Infantry advances…
((SFX UP: Pause, automatic weapons fire))
…the objective is to quickly take an enemy position.
These are just exercises - a rehearsal for what may be a real war - because it is clear to these fighters and to many Lithuanians that the world has changed in a year.
Routine training now means much more for these men and women. As they see it, Lithuania’s very existence depends on it.
[[RADIO VERSION: Raminta Banisauskaite is a first lieutenant with the Lithuanian army training at this facility outside Vilnius.]]
((Raminta Banisauskaite, Lithuanian Soldier - WOMAN, IN ENGLISH ORIGINAL VOA))
“I feel that in my soldiers, I feel in myself that motivation is even bigger. And our mentality grows bigger because the neighbors are nearby. And what we do – we do really big work into our individual's skills. For example, surviving as individual and of course we are always aware and always prepared.”
((VIDEO: Lithuanian main battle tanks, infantry. ORIGINAL VOA))
((NARRATOR))
Lithuania is a member of the European Union and of NATO, which provides a political and military shield that Ukraine did not have when it was attacked a year ago, yet the war has shown that much remains to be learned.
The NATO forces deployed in Lithuania consider it vital to observe the Ukrainian troops and integrate the tactics with which they have managed to face the Russian invasion.
Our NATO hosts asked us to use first names.
[[RADIO VERSION: Captain Eric E., from the Netherlands, says his forces are looking to Ukrainian fighters as an example.]]
((Capt. Eric E., NATO - MAN, IN ENGLISH ORIGINAL VOA))
“I think, first of all, when I look at our simple tactical level, what you see, what you can do with not so many personnel, but with a lot o f perseverance (CUT) but also combining it with modern drones, modern technologies to set up a precondition for a good fight. I think that is one of the things that mainly stands out for, how will I put it, a really brave fight now in Ukraine.”
((VIDEO: Screenshot RIA NOVOSTI bill / National symbols; Lithuanians (ORIGINAL VOA))
((NARRATOR))
Increased tensions in Europe brought on by the war in Ukraine have driven Russian chauvinism. In the Duma, Russia's Parliament, a proposal has been introduced to reverse the 1991 decision to grant the independence to Lithuania. Moscow made a similar move in the run-up to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
((VIDEO: Lithuanian Riflemen's Union, first aid and weapons training. ORIGINAL VOA))
Russia’s assault on Ukraine has not only forced the Lithuanian authorities and NATO to react, but society in general.
The Lithuanian Riflemen's Union is a group of male and female volunteers who undergo military training on weekends. Many of them say February 24, 2022, was a turning point for them.
[[RADIO VERSION: Aiste Linauskaite is one of those volunteers.]]
((Aiste Linauskaite, Lithuanian Riflemen's Union - WOMAN, IN ENGLISH - ORIGINAL VOA))
“That day there were many discussions: friends, with families. What would you do if something like that happened in your country because that is very realistic, and I thought like the answers of running away or hiding was not for me.”
((VIDEO: Vilnius, streets, people, Ministry of Defense - ORIGINAL VOA))
((NARRATOR))
Lithuania, with fewer than 2 million people and armed forces of just over 20 thousand troops, is worried about Russia’s refusal to back down despite the weaker-than-expected performance of its forces in Ukraine.
Lithuania’s border with Belarus - a Russian ally - is also cause for concern.
[[RADIO VERSION: Vaidotas Urbelis a vice minister in charge of defense policy at Lithuania's ministry of defense.]]
(( , Lithuanian Vice Minister of Defense - MAN, IN ENGLISH - ORIGINAL VOA))
“We must look at our security at our borders. We have Kaliningrad in the West, and we have Belarus which is hosting huge contingent of Russian forces and is supporting the Russian aggression towards Ukraine.”
((VIDEO: Vilnius night, streets, people. ORIGINAL VOA))
((NARRATOR))
With NATO forces on Lithuanian soil, the confrontation between Russia and the West has one of its lines of contact in Lithuania, a scenario almost identical to that of the Cold War, a scenario full of tension and uncertainty over what many see as a possible conflict - for which this small Baltic country strives to be prepared.
((For Ricardo Marquina in Vilnius, Jon Spier, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMarch 7, 2023 08:30 EST
BylineRicardo Marquina
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
