Meanwhile former Minister of National Defense Juozas Olekas said Russia and other countries would not stop modernizing their armed forces, and Lithuania is only safe being a member of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Juknevičienė told BNS on Thursday the test-launch of a Tochka missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads only confirms the ongoing militarization of Kaliningrad Region. The minister also wondered about the need for that as "countries of the Baltic region are peaceful countries and seek closer economic cooperation and better neighborhood."
"If such a test-launch did take place, it once again confirms that Russia wants to demonstrate its military power in the Baltic region and that the militarization process, which has been going on for several years, continues. We know that such a demonstration of power does not add to trust between neighbors," the minister said.
"I feel a lack of openness and transparency from the Russian side in at least informing the closest neighbors about similar tests. All military training events taking place in Lithuania, be it our local training events or NATO training events, take place after neighbors are informed and we invite them to observe. In the end, it's a dangerous weapon, and Kaliningrad's territory is not large. And it's understandable that neighbors have questions as to why these things are taking place“, – Juknevičienė said.
The minister also added that "Russia's declarative need to deploy Iskander-type missiles in Kaliningrad is raising even more questions." According to Juknevičienė, Tochka missiles would be capable of reaching targets in only part of Lithuania's territory, but Iskander would cover the whole territory of Lithuania.
Meanwhile Olekas said the Tochka test-launch "is part of modernization of the Russian armed forces." In his words, Lithuania "could come to one conclusion that it needs to continue working very seriously in the sphere of NATO integration to be sure of its security."
"We have to realize that Russia, as probably any other country, will not stop modernizing its armed forces. All countries do that, including Lithuania and other NATO countries. Whether we can look at this as some sort of signal is a matter of attitude. But I think that its part of Russia's existing military and defensive doctrine. And in our case there's nothing else we can do but to realize that our participation in the collective defense system is the only security guarantee for Lithuania and a way to preserve its sovereignty. Although these tests are not directly aimed at Lithuania, but for us they once again confirm that Lithuania's real security is the framework of NATO collective security," Olekas said.
A Tochka tactical missile was successfully test-launched in Kaliningrad Region in a drill conducted by the Baltic Fleet's missiles crews, Russian news agency Interfax reported on Wednesday, citing the Western Military District's press service.
It was the Tochka missile's first test launch in Kaliningrad Region over the past three years, the report said.
Tochka missiles are capable of carrying high-explosive, cluster, chemical and nuclear warheads. There are several versions of Tochka missiles, depending on the production year, capable of reaching targets of 70-200 kilometers.
