Mallika Dureja
The head of Lithuania’s military intelligence stated that Russia has sufficient resources to continue the conflict in Ukraine at the current intensity for two more years.
Moscow claims it launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine to combat a security threat one year ago. Kyiv and the West refer to it as an unprovoked war to subjugate a sovereign nation.
“Russia’s current resources are sufficient to continue the conflict at the current intensity for two years,” Lithuania’s intelligence chief Elegijus Paulavicius stated to reporters.
“The length of time Russia will be able to continue the war will also hinge on the support Russia receives from countries like Iran and North Korea,” he added.
Paulavicius was presenting a national threat assessment by Lithuania’s intelligence agencies, which asserted that in 2022, hackers with ties to the Russian and Chinese governments repeatedly attempted to breach into government computers in Lithuania.
“Continuous long-term acquisition of information related to Lithuanian internal and foreign affairs remains their top priority,” the agencies said.
It was not specified whether the attempted hacks were successful.
Lithuania has been one of the harshest critics of Russia in the European Union, and after allowing Taiwan to establish a de facto embassy in 2021, it drew the ire of China.
The Vilnius office of the Chinese envoy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of international espionage.
The Lithuanian intelligence services stated that sanctions had not hindered Russia’s ability to finance its military by redirecting resources from social welfare to the military.
Russia uses “long chains of intermediaries” to obtain sanctioned Western technologies, and its army is being adapted for long-term confrontation with the West. Additionally, Russia will prioritise efforts to rebuild its military presence in the Baltic Sea region, where it will remain “a threat and a source of instability”.
This will depend largely on the duration and outcome of the war in Ukraine, according to the report. “The longer and costlier the war, the longer it will take,” the report states.
