【Lithuania Prepares to Amend Constitution; Russia Immediately Issues Nuclear Warning】 According to LRT, Lithuania's national broadcaster, on September 11, the Lithuanian government plans to push for constitutional amendments before this winter, removing the current constitutional ban on deploying weapons of mass destruction on its territory.
Upon the release of this news, Russia responded swiftly.
Russian President's Press Secretary Peskov stated outright that allowing nuclear weapons to be deployed on Lithuanian soil would constitute a "serious escalation."
The message was clear: if nuclear weapons targeting Russia were deployed in Lithuania, then Lithuania itself would fall within Russia’s nuclear strike range.
In an interview with Russia’s First Channel, Peskov said: “Obviously, these weapons won’t be aimed at the West—they’ll be aimed eastward, toward us… If nuclear weapons targeting us are deployed on their territory, then naturally, that country’s territory will also be within our nuclear strike range.”
The underlying implication is actually not complicated—every step you take forward, we’ll extend our nuclear deterrence by one step.
Lithuania is a NATO member state bordering Russia and holds a particularly sensitive geographical position. Should foreign nuclear weapons ever be permitted in Lithuania in the future—especially if NATO’s nuclear forces establish a presence there—Russia would inevitably perceive this as a further deterioration of its security environment.
Certainly, it should be noted at this stage that **Lithuania is merely preparing to initiate constitutional amendments, which does not mean nuclear weapons have already been deployed.** There remains a long way between "amending legislation" and the actual deployment of nuclear weapons.
But the issue lies precisely here: once the legal "taboo" is lifted, future policy space will inevitably shift.
Since the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, Europe’s security landscape has undergone significant changes. After Finland and Sweden joined NATO, the military contact line between NATO and Russia has expanded further; should Lithuania now open up legal space for nuclear weapon deployment, Russia would certainly react with high sensitivity.
Therefore, Peskov’s statement this time is less about announcing any new military action and more about drawing a red line in advance:
Lithuania may amend its own laws—but if nuclear weapons truly enter Lithuania, Russia will recalibrate its nuclear deterrence scope accordingly.
This means that military competition in the Baltic region may soon involve another dangerous variable.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1876019413263369/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.