3 May 2026
Germany has begun adapting its civilian infrastructure for use in armed conflict. According to Bloomberg, Berlin will allocate €1.35 billion ($1.6 billion) to modernize Europe’s largest North Sea port, located in Bremerhaven and specializing in vehicle shipping. The funds will be used to strengthen loading docks to enable the transport of military equipment, including the 60-ton Leopard tank, to future front lines.
The project is part of Germany’s large-scale preparations for a potential war. According to the publication, in the event of a Russian attack on Europe, the country would play a key role in supplying NATO allies, given its central geographic location and industrial resources.
At the same time, Germany began forming a tank brigade in Lithuania. Berlin intends to ensure its deployment “at any cost” by the end of 2027, Bild reports . The unit’s headquarters is already operational in Vilnius. According to the publication, “everything in the Bundeswehr that isn’t firmly entrenched” is being transferred to the new 45th Tank Brigade. Its commander, General Christoph Huber, stated that the unit will “defend every centimeter” of the eastern flank in line with NATO commitments.
Since 2017, a multinational battle group under German command has also been stationed in Lithuania. Amid the invasion of Ukraine, troops conduct exercises in the republic every six months, practicing combat operations against Russia. At the same time, Lithuania is rapidly building infrastructure to accommodate German forces. A large military base, designed to accommodate several thousand troops, is being built near the Rudninkai training ground near the Belarusian border. An advance detachment is expected to be formed there within 20 months.
On April 22, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius presented the first defense strategy since World War II, designed to increase the size of the German army to 460,000 personnel and make it the strongest in Europe by 2039. The document identified Russia as the “main threat.” Pistorius emphasized that the Kremlin is “preparing for a military confrontation with NATO and views the use of military force as a legitimate tool for advancing its interests.”
https://ru.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/03/rossiyane-nachali-ekonomit-navesennih-shashlikah-a194388