Lithuanian intelligence: russia has resources to fight in ukraine for at least 2 more years despite sanctions
Kyiv • UNN
russia has the resources from high oil prices, sanctions evasion and state investment to sustain the war in Ukraine at the current intensity for at least two more years, according to a report by Lithuanian intelligence services.
High oil prices, sanctions evasion and state investment provide Russia with enough resources to conduct hostilities in Ukraine at the current intensity for at least two more years, according to a report by Lithuanian intelligence services on Thursday, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
russia reformed and strengthened its battle-weary army in Ukraine in 2023 and is on track to expand its military capabilities along the NATO border, including alongside Finland, which joined the alliance last year, the agencies said in their annual assessment of the threats facing the Baltic nation.
"Moscow is able to assess the lessons learned and improve its combat effectiveness," the Lithuanian agencies added in the report.
Russia's defense minister said on Tuesday that the country has reinforced its armed forces in the north and west of the country in response to the alleged NATO build-up on its borders.
The agencies wrote that Russian intelligence was making efforts to evade sanctions imposed on the country's defense industry after the invasion of Ukraine.
While only Iran and North Korea openly supply Russia with weapons and ammunition, China has become its largest supplier of microchips, and the yuan has become the main currency for Russia's international transactions, Lithuanian agencies reported.
They added that since Russia deployed military warheads in Belarus in 2023, it has been consistently building infrastructure for their use there.
The report says that Russian and Belarusian intelligence services have stepped up their efforts to recruit Lithuanians crossing the border, and in 2023 Lithuania detained several of its citizens, whom it accused of providing data to Belarusian intelligence for money.
Speaking of China, Lithuanian agencies said the country has stepped up its espionage efforts in Lithuania in 2023 following the country's decision to allow Taiwan to open a de facto embassy on its soil in 2021.
The report says that cybercriminals "linked to China" regularly scan Lithuanian government agencies for vulnerabilities "in order to penetrate their networks and steal data.
For reference
The joint report is the work of two agencies: the State Security Counterintelligence Directorate and the Military Intelligence and Security Service of the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense.
