German brigade monitors signals after Poland reports thwarted provocation

A German brigade in Lithuania has begun monitoring signals from Belarus and the Kaliningrad region after Poland said it had prevented a possible provocation near its border with Kaliningrad, LRT reports.

Poland said it had received intelligence about plans for possible provocations in early November. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said border guards reported suspicious activity shortly after midnight, with people moving in the dark using flashlights. Forces were quickly mobilised, he said, preventing any potential provocation, though he added that their intentions could not be confirmed.

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said Lithuanian and Polish intelligence officials had discussed the latest information. He said the border had been reinforced several weeks ago in anticipation of possible provocations, including an illegal crossing. The absence of incidents did not mean there had been no attempts, he added, saying that security services and the military were working to prevent them.

A spokesperson for Lithuania’s Interior Minister said there was currently no need to further strengthen protection of the country’s border with the Kaliningrad region. The mission of troops at the border is to continue through November and longer if needed. A representative of Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service said the current security level reflected conditions at the border, including in relation to border violations, smuggling and other threats.

German brigade troops in Lithuania are setting up positions for electronic warfare and intelligence equipment. They have begun examining and classifying signals coming from Belarus and Kaliningrad as the 45th German brigade, which is due to be fully based in Lithuania next year, develops an early-warning system.

German Navy Vice Admiral Thomas Daum said the information collected would be added to electronic warfare databases and could help identify developments such as the installation of new air-defence radars in Belarus. It could also support German Eurofighter missions and Lithuanian military units, he said.

The German troops are also testing tools to detect drones and disrupt communications, and installing jammers and sensors that collect information for further analysis. Patrick Jesche, an innovation official in the German military, said the challenge was identifying the most important information among the signals being collected.

In the summer, officials in the Baltic states and Poland also received US intelligence information about Russian considerations of false-flag operations, possible provocations and sabotage.