{"id":2608678,"date":"2026-05-31T05:25:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T09:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lithuania-warns-russian-economy-is-built-on-war\/"},"modified":"2026-05-31T05:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T09:29:08","slug":"lithuania-warns-russian-economy-is-built-on-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lithuania-warns-russian-economy-is-built-on-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania warns Russian economy is &#8216;built on war&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flithuania-warns-russian-economy-is-built-on-war%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2608678&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Lithuania\u2019s defense minister,Robertas Kaunas,says the Kremlin\u2019s war-driven economic shift makes the Baltic states a likely next target after the conflict in Ukraine becomes \u201cnormalized.\u201d He warns Russia is already conducting airspace incursions and cyberattacks, not hypothetical threats, and argues Russia is producing weapons far faster than Europe can collectively.<\/p>\n<p>The article notes that prior analysts had long predicted further pressure on the Baltics, and points to recent incidents in Europe-such as drone impacts in romania and statements from Russian officials-as evidence the danger feels closer and more immediate. It adds that roughly 40% of Russia\u2019s national budget is now directed toward military spending and that oil-and-gas revenues are being used to fund new weapons and technologies, including drones. Kaunas also claims Russia could build several times more weapons than all of Europe combined.<\/p>\n<p>As the three baltic countries are small and strategically exposed, the piece highlights them as the most obvious target set, emphasizing the Suwalki Gap (the vulnerable land corridor between Lithuania and Poland) as a key weak point for NATO. It further describes defensive steps already underway, including anti-tank barriers in Latvia and plans by Estonia to prevent unauthorized crossings or a \u201cmigration attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>it cites an International Institute for strategic Studies report arguing Russia\u2019s current war footing may require expanding conscription and introducing harsher, centrally controlled mobilization measures-actions the Kremlin would likely find disruptive and unpopular-even as Russia continues to describe it&#8217;s Ukraine actions as a \u201cspecial military operation.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lithuania\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2648\">Lithuanian<\/a> government fears the Baltic states will be <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"80\">Russia\u2019s<\/a> logical next target because the Kremlin has gone over a cliff in transforming the country\u2019s economy into a war machine.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas told reporters during a press conference at his ministry\u2019s headquarters in Vilni<\/span>us that the \u201cRussian economy is now built on war,\u201d and he worries his own country is next on the chopping block after the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia-ukraine-war\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"311\">conflict in Ukraine<\/a> is normalized.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4588093\/us-iran-messaging-battle-peace\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US and Iran take widely different approaches in messaging battle around peace<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4587424\/poland-karol-nawrocki-strip-zelensky-top-state-honor\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Polish president moves to strip Zelensky of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/polish-president-moves-to-strip-zelensky-of-top-state-honor\/\" title=\"Polish president moves to strip Zelensky of top ... honor\">top state honor<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4586966\/dmitry-medvedev-europe-peaceful-sleep-over-romania\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Former Russian president warns Europe\u2019s \u2018peaceful sleep is over\u2019 after Romania drone hit<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey will continue to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4581766\/russia-drone-invasion-grim-realities-modern-combat\/\">build weapons<\/a>, but after the war in Ukraine \u2014 where will those weapons go?\u201d Kaunas warned. \u201cIt\u2019s very concerning because Russia can at least try to start a new war, and this new war can be with the Baltic states.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas speaks to reporters in Vilnius. (Timothy Nerozzi\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFrom Russia, we\u2019re facing incursion into our airspace with jets [and] cyberattacks,\u201d the defense minister said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a hypothetical threat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is not a new concern \u2014 experts and think tanks, such as the Center for European Policy Analysis, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cepa.org\/article\/game-plan-after-ukraine\/\">have for years warned<\/a> that \u201cthe Kremlin\u2019s war machine will not stop in Ukraine\u201d and that the next target is \u201cprobably in the Baltic states.\u201d But repeated violations of European sovereignty and this week\u2019s drone detonation on a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4586842\/nato-romania-russia-persona-non-grata-drone-attack\/\">Romanian apartment building<\/a> are starting to make the threat feel palpably real and immediate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia and current deputy chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, explicitly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4586966\/dmitry-medvedev-europe-peaceful-sleep-over-romania\/\">warned Europeans<\/a> they were at war with his country in a message following the incident in Romania.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCitizens of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/european-union\/\">EU countries<\/a>, you should realize your authorities have unilaterally entered into a war with Russia. So be vigilant and don\u2019t be surprised by anything. The peaceful sleep is over. But you know who to ask why!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Approximately <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/24\/world\/europe\/russia-ukraine-war-future.html\">40% of Russia\u2019s national budget<\/a> is now geared toward military expenses and defense spending. Financial assets accumulated over the years through oil and gas sales have been cracked open to help fund the effort, and state funds pour into the development of the latest military technologies \u2014 such as kamikaze drones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kaunas asserted to reporters that \u201cRussia is capable of building four times more weapons than all Europe can build together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Baltic states are often considered the most obvious targets for Russia if the Kremlin were to undertake a new conflict, due to both their small size and strategic location. Together, the Baltic states have a population rivaling the state of Maryland. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/crs-product\/R46139\">three countries together<\/a> have a GDP of approximately $180 billion \u2014 less than the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/NGMP18140\">GDP of Columbus, Ohio<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lithuania\u2019s border with Poland, known as the Suwalki Gap, is also widely recognized as perhaps the weakest point in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nato\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"603\">NATO\u2019s<\/a> perimeter. The sparsely populated region is flanked by Russia on one side and ally Belarus on the other. In a hypothetical invasion, the two countries could pincer the border and sever the only land route into the Baltic states from the rest of NATO.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lithuanian army soldiers take part in a Lithuanian-Polish Brave Griffin 24\/II military exercise near the Suwalki Gap near the Polish border at the Dirmiskes village, Alytus district, west of the capital Vilnius in Lithuania on Friday, April 26, 2024. (Mindaugas Kulbis\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Baltic states\u2019 size and vulnerability have spurred them to be role models for other members of the alliance \u2014 always contributing at least 5% of their GDP to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-vowed-to-elect-more-women-they-did-just-that\/\" title=\"Republicans Vowed To Elect More Women...They Did Just That\">national defense<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Latvia began installing <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kyivpost.com\/post\/77061\">\u201cdragon\u2019s teeth\u201d infrastructure<\/a> along its border this <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >week \u2014 massive anti-tank barriers made<\/a> of concrete to \u201cprevent unauthorized travel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Estonian authorities have similarly been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/steve-bannon-surrenders-to-authorities-in-new-york-over-fresh-charges\/\" title=\"Steve Bannon Surrenders to Authorities in New York Over Fresh Charges\">building barriers<\/a> along the Russian border to prevent unauthorized crossings or a possible \u201cmigration attack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iiss.org\/research-paper\/2026\/05\/the-coming-crisis-in-russias-political-economy\/\">report published this month<\/a> by the International Institute for Strategic Studies asserted that Russia\u2019s war footing will prove unsustainable without a final push to transition its military from volunteer enlistment to mandatory conscription. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4584032\/ukraine-veterans-return-injured-angry-how-government-help\/\">UKRAINIAN VETERANS ARE RETURNING INJURED, BROKEN, AND ANGRY. HOW CAN THE GOVERNMENT HELP THEM SURVIVE?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn order to sustain its war, Russia will have to impose significant new command-like measures that forcibly mobilize human and material resources for the war effort,\u201d the report states. \u201cThis will require it to curtail the last remaining post-Soviet market freedoms, labour freedom, and freedom of movement. Such measures will be highly disruptive and unpopular.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Kremlin maintains that it is not engaged in a \u201cwar\u201d with Ukraine, but instead a \u201cspecial military operation\u201d to liberate Russian-speaking minority areas such as Donbas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lithuania fears Russia will target the Baltics next as its economy shifts to war<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2608679,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP24117445036851.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[45628,52274,4280,80532],"class_list":["post-2608678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-economic-sanctions","tag-lithuania","tag-russia","tag-war-economy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP24117445036851.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608678","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2608678"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608678\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2608682,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608678\/revisions\/2608682"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608679"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2608678"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2608678"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2608678"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}