Lithuania Will Build A Landfill Between Belarus And Kaliningrad
- 23.04.2026, 20:22
The Suwałki Corridor is considered a particularly vulnerable NATO area.
The Lithuanian Seimas has approved the construction of a new military training ground in the Suvalki corridor, a section on Lithuania's border with Poland that stretches from the Kaliningrad region to the border of Belarus and is considered a particularly vulnerable NATO territory. On Thursday, April 23, parliamentarians supported the relevant draft law of the Ministry of Defense.
In accordance with the document, the training ground will be built on a plot of more than 14 thousand hectares in the town of Kapčijamestis and will cost Vilnius 100 million euros. From 2028 there will be held exercises with the participation of up to 4,000 servicemen. According to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry, about 100 civilian and military personnel will work and serve at the training range.
The expansion of the armed forces' training infrastructure is necessary to improve operational readiness and security on NATO's eastern flank, Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said.
The Lithuanian State Defense Council announced plans to build a military training range for personnel numbering about one brigade in Kapčjamestis at the end of December 2025. Presidential Advisor Deividas Matulionis emphasized that Lithuania, Poland and NATO as a whole will pay special attention to the protection of the Suvalki Corridor.
The Suvalki Corridor is less than 100 km long, but it is of great strategic importance as it connects Lithuania to the main territory of the European Union. The EU and NATO fear that Russia may try to seize the Suvalki corridor, thereby cutting off the Baltic States from the rest of the North Atlantic Alliance.
In the meantime, the decision to establish a firing range in Kapčemestis has met with discontent from local residents, who have held several protests. In January 2026, Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas, representatives of the Environment Ministry and other officials met with them to find a compromise.