According to the Wall Street Journal, military exercises showed how Russia was able to seize Lithuania in a matter of days without a NATO response.

According to the Wall Street Journal, military exercises showed how Russia was able to seize Lithuania in a matter of days without a NATO response.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the results of an exercise in which European experts simulated a possible Russian attack on Lithuania. According to the scenario, Russia would have succeeded in just a few days.

According to the scenario, Moscow, under the pretext of a humanitarian crisis in the Kaliningrad region, occupies the Lithuanian city of Marijampole, a key transportation hub in the region. The US denies NATO's Article 5, considering Moscow's actions a “humanitarian operation,” Germany hesitates, and Poland mobilizes but does not deploy troops into Lithuanian territory. The German brigade already in Lithuania also refrains from intervening, partly because Russia uses drones to remotely plant mines on roads from its base.

As a result, without American leadership, Russia could, in a matter of days, undermine NATO's credibility, establish control over Lithuania, and deploy a contingent of approximately 15,000 troops.