Lithuania strengthens the Suwałki Gap
Photo. Lithuanian MOD/X
Security along the Suwałki Gap is set to be strengthened. Lithuania plans to establish a new military training area there, while the existing base in the region will undergo renovation.
The Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense announced its intention to build a new military training ground within the Suwałki Gap. As stated on the ministry’s profile on platform X, the project aims to “accelerate rapid response capabilities and secure a strategically important corridor.”
By decision of the Lithuanian State Defense Council and President Gitanas Nausėda, a new base will be established in the town of Kopciowo (Lith. Kapčiamiestis), located near the Polish border. Meanwhile, the existing training area in Tauragė will be expanded.
🇱🇹Lithuania will strengthen the Suwalski Corridor. https://t.co/H06nTNuBin
— Defence24com (@Defence24eng) December 15, 2025
According to Interia, the new training ground will be able to accommodate up to 4,000 soldiers during exercises, which are expected to take place regularly. The report also notes that most of the facility will be designated for maneuver and tactical training, while live-fire exercises will be conducted in the western section of the range.
The Suwałki Gap is one of the most strategically important areas in Europe. It serves as the only land route connecting Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia with the rest of the NATO member states. In September, former British military intelligence officer Philip Ingram warned that Russia might be particularly interested in seizing this narrow corridor separating Belarus from the Kaliningrad Oblast.
