Reuters | , by Shobhit Gupta
Lithuania’s military intelligence chief said Russia has enough resources to continue the war in Ukraine at the current intensity for two more years.
Moscow says it launched its “special military operation” in Ukraine a year ago to deal with the security threat. Kiev and the West call it an unprovoked war to subjugate an independent state.
“The resources that Russia has at the moment would be enough to keep the war going for two years at the current intensity,” Lithuania’s intelligence chief, Elijis Palavičius, told reporters.
“How long Russia will be able to wage war will also depend on Russia’s military support from states such as Iran and North Korea,” he added.
Palavicius was presenting a national threat overview by Lithuania’s intelligence agencies, which claimed that hackers linked to the Russian and Chinese governments had repeatedly attempted to break into Lithuanian government computers in 2022.
“Their priority is the continued long-term collection of information relating to Lithuanian internal and foreign affairs,” the agencies said.
It did not say whether the hacking attempts were successful.
Lithuania has been one of the harshest critics of Russia in the EU, and faced the wrath of China after Taiwan was allowed to open a de facto embassy in 2021.
The office of the Chinese envoy in Vilnius did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of hacking activities abroad.
Lithuania’s intelligence services said the sanctions did not harm Russia’s ability to fund its military as it redirected resources away from public welfare.
Russia uses a “long chain of intermediaries” to procure approved Western technologies, and its military is being optimized for long-term confrontation with the West and will prioritize efforts to rebuild its military presence in the Baltic Sea region. , where it will continue to be a “threat and a source of instability”.
“This will largely depend on the duration and outcome of the war in Ukraine – the longer and costlier the war, the longer it will take,” the report said.
