During the opening stage of the Russian invasion, Ukraine’s army devastated Russian forces through the use of drones, ambushes, and society-wide mobilisation. Lithuania is now aiming to prepare its population to do the same. In the early days of the war, we sat hunkered down in a basement, located in a former bank vault-turned-restaurant.
Just a few dozen kilometres away, the Russians were making their move on Kyiv. A Ukrainian man in his 20s was both an employee at the bar and also a volunteer, much like the rest of the people across the country. At one point, he received a call from his friend living on the outskirts of the capital – he saw a large column of tanks move past his house.
The volunteer proceeded to type in the Google Maps coordinates, locate the road with the Russian column, and send the location to another friend who, he said, had links with Ukrainian intelligence. Less than an hour later, he was sent back a video of an armed Bayraktar drone dismembering the Russian assault group. This was Ukraine’s society-wide defence in action, where every person played a part – from manning checkpoints and launching ambushes to gathering and passing on information.
Now Lithuania wants its society to be ready to do the same. Unlike Ukraine, the government plans to implement the preparations in peacetime, not during the opening salvos of an invasion. So far, the results have been mixed.
'No one attacks those who are strong' In May, Lithuania’s Defence Minister Laur.