The German army brigade stationed in Lithuania is not under direct fire, but troops report facing hybrid attacks, including surveillance, psychological operations, and drone activity, as tensions with Russia persist in the Baltic region.

Soldiers have described unusual incidents, including mysterious phone calls where conversations from hours earlier were played back by unknown callers. “A comrade phones home, speaks for half an hour, and then gets a call from an unknown number. He answers – and hears his own conversation from earlier, recorded and played back,” Joshua Krebs wrote in his book, Inside Bundeswehr, calling the tactic “uncanny.”

Drones have also reportedly been used to monitor sensitive defence systems and exercises involving Germany’s Battletank Brigade 45 in Lithuania. Last year, a Russian reconnaissance aircraft entered Belarusian airspace during the Bundeswehr’s exercise Iron Wolf, raising concerns about Russian surveillance in the region.

Germany’s Inspector General, Carsten Breuer, described such incidents as “proof of the very real threat to Lithuania.” Federal Defence Minister Boris Pistorius echoed the warning during a meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart in Berlin, stressing that hybrid warfare poses a particular concern for Lithuania and the wider Baltic region.

The risks are compounded by Russian incursions into European airspace. In October 2025, two Russian fighter jets briefly entered Lithuanian airspace for approximately 18 seconds before turning back under NATO escort. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz described the incident as a “provocation,” with the aircraft thought to have flown from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Given the Baltic states’ proximity to Russian territory, the region is under constant NATO monitoring. Germany, Spain, and the UK currently lead the mission to police Baltic airspace, while Germany also supports ground operations, including deploying a mobile air force command post for air surveillance from January to March this year.

Experts note that hybrid attacks often exist in a legal grey area. Unlike conventional military operations, many hybrid actions, such as surveillance or unmarked troop movements, cannot be directly attributed to a single actor, and international law does not automatically classify them as armed attacks under Article 51 of the UN Charter. The aim is often psychological: to provoke, unsettle, and signal presence without triggering a military response.

Incidents reminiscent of the “little green men” in Crimea have occurred in the Baltics. In December, Russian border guards briefly crossed into Estonia without authorization, prompting diplomatic protests rather than military retaliation. Armed men in unmarked uniforms were also spotted near the Estonian border earlier in the year, reinforcing concerns about Russia’s hybrid strategies.

According to Pistorius, these tactics are part of a broader pattern of Russian pressure. “The threat posed by Russia is felt more acutely in Lithuania and across the Baltic region than elsewhere in Europe,” he said, citing provocative airspace incursions and intelligence-gathering operations as ongoing challenges for NATO forces in the region.