Germany to Deploy 4,000 Troops Permanently in Lithuania to Strengthen NATO's Eastern Defense

Germany is preparing to permanently deploy 4,000 soldiers to Lithuania, according to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. The move comes after Berlin pledged a year ago to keep a combat brigade ready to defend Lithuania following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Infrastructure and training facilities need to be constructed, but Pistorius said that Berlin would be putting a "robust brigade" in the Baltic country. The announcement comes shortly after a short-lived mutiny in Russia by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner.