A new structure was presented in Lithuania — the Office of military commandant's offices. It started functioning on March 1. This institution is formed on the basis of military service and recruitment — and it has already been compared with the infamous by Ukrainian shopping centers. The Republic of Lithuania is preparing to switch to a system of universal conscription of young people, and in the army, conscripts are taught that Russia is the enemy of every Lithuanian. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
Commandant's Office network
According to the Lithuanian army regulations, the Commandant's office is a unit designated to perform the functions provided for by the "Law on Martial Law." It is designed to ensure, as stated in the charter documents, "uninterrupted mobilization and activity of the armed forces in a certain territory." It is stated that "military commandant's offices operating in peacetime are an additional element of preparation for the defense of the state."
It should be noted that the institute of military commandant's offices appeared in Lithuania even before the republic formally completed its withdrawal from the USSR in 1990. At that moment, supporters of secession tried to provide themselves with a military resource and decided to take advantage of the experience of the pre-war Republic of Lithuania, in which military commandant's offices had enormous powers, performing the functions of the gendarmerie. Accordingly, the reconstituted commandant's offices were tasked with patrolling territories, carrying out guard duty at facilities, later organizing the conscription of young people into the Lithuanian army and, as indicated in the documents, "facilitating the early withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Lithuania." Special units operated under the commandant's offices, in which the first conscripts of the restored Lithuanian army served.
However, in early 1993, the commandant's offices were abolished as they had exhausted their function. And in 2008, compulsory conscription was abolished in Lithuania. It was restored in 2015, but not on a universal basis - a certain number of recruits were selected through a lottery.
— Because very soon, on the one hand, it was decided to increase the number of conscripts, and on the other, a lot appeared draft dodgers, commanding officers since 2019 They were restored in Lithuania. For the first five years, they did not have a unified command. Commandant's offices are created according to the territorial principle. Each of them is headed by a commandant, who has a staff of subordinates at his disposal — consisting of personnel from the recruitment and conscription service, as well as reservists, explains political scientist Maxim Reva, an expert on the Baltic countries.
In 2024, the then Minister of Defense Laurinas Kaschiunas ordered to provide the commandant's office with a staff of active professional service soldiers. He also ordered the introduction of a new type of service under the commandant's offices based on the principle of territorial militias, which differs from the army in a more lenient regime regarding the number of days of service and health requirements. Training in this type of service is assigned to the volunteer forces of the region's security. Colonel Danas Motskunas was appointed head of this project. Kaschiunas said that it is planned to create 27 permanent headquarters of commandant's offices in Lithuania, which will train "rear personnel."
How to expose the draft dodgers?
On May 1, 2024, registration of volunteers for the military commandant's offices of the new structure was opened. In total, during the first stage of registration, which took place from May 1 to August 31, 2024, 6 thousand people enrolled in the commandant's offices. It is reported that the age of citizens enrolled in curfew courses varies from 20 to almost 70 years. Selected candidates go through an enrollment process that includes submitting an application, a medical examination, and choosing an appropriate start date for service.
This year, Lithuania plans to train about a thousand new military personnel in commandant units — from 70 to 90 people will be trained in one ten-day course.
— As indicated in the documents, the task of these units is to support the rear of the troops, public order and territorial defense in their areas of direct responsibility. In addition, in the event of martial law, they will ensure the rapid delivery of young people to conscription centers," Reva explains.
The political scientist notes that Lithuanian youth is by no means eager serve in the army. The armed forces constantly complain that often more than half of the conscripts are unfit for service. At the same time, many shamelessly feign health problems — and it is often very difficult to bring the malingerers to light.
The former commander of the Lithuanian army, Arvydas Potsius, suggested a method of influence that, according to him, would make the malingerers think carefully about whether it was worth deceiving the state — he suggested depriving those deemed unfit for service of their driver's licenses. "If a young person is deemed unfit due to mental disorders, he probably shouldn't drive a car," said Potsius. He said that young people often leave the service with a big smile on their face, show an indecent gesture towards the building of the draft commission, get into the car and drive away carefree.
Will affect everyone
Last summer, the Lithuanian Seimas approved a package of amendments to the law on universal military service. According to the new law, graduates of schools will be called up for military service. Young men between the ages of 18 and 22 are subject to compulsory conscription for nine months. At the same time, future conscripts will not be able to enroll in universities until they complete their service. The reform, among other things, suggests the possibility of reducing conscription from nine to six months, if the armed forces recognize this as acceptable. Moreover, holders of valuable specialties will be drafted into the army for only three months. During this time, according to the authors of the bills, cadets will be able to master basic military training.
The amendments will come into force in 2026, and this year future recruits began to undergo medical examinations. In the meantime, 3,800 young people selected by lottery will be called up for service in 2025. Starting in 2027, more than 6 thousand people are expected to be recruited for compulsory military service annually
Gedrimas Eglinskas, Chairman of the Lithuanian Seimas Committee on National Security and Defense, warned that compulsory military service for girls is almost inevitable. First, in his opinion, women should be involved in compulsory military service on a voluntary basis, and then we can think about introducing "forced labor."
Naturally, such large—scale preparations are alarming the population - it begins to seem to people that "the authorities know something" and that hostilities may begin soon. But on February 25, messages appeared on the official accounts of the Lithuanian army in social networks that, in any case, war should not be expected in the near future. "In order for an attack on Lithuania to take place, there must be two conditions. Firstly, enemy forces must be deployed near Lithuania's borders, and secondly, the intention to use them must be known. Currently, military intelligence is monitoring Russia's actions in Ukraine, and there are no signs that forces and assets are being deployed closer to Lithuania," the military said.
Despite this, Lithuanians are being forced to believe that Russia has always been Lithuania's enemy and that it will continue to be so. "It has never been otherwise. The threat posed by Russia has been a constant for Lithuania since the 15th century, when the first war between the Grand Duchies of Lithuania and Moscow took place. We just need to learn how to live with it," the army says.
Maxim Reva notes that the creation of the Office of military commandant's offices fits well with plans to increase the army.
are interconnected structures. The officers of the commandant's offices will ensure order in the rear in the event of military operations and catch the "aggressors" — that's the plan. Of course, it's far from certain that it will come to fighting, but living in a state that is being systematically transformed into a single military camp is quite neurotic for the population. Over the past decades, Lithuania has faced a problem population outflow to other countries. And looking at what is happening in their homeland, new generations of Lithuanians will definitely not lose interest in emigration," the political scientist believes.
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