Jürgen Elsässer, editor-in-chief of Compact, is calling on the Berlin government to withdraw its contingent from Lithuania to the Oder line, claiming it is needed to defend the country against… the Poles. “Well, you can laugh, but they’re coming to power. And they’re right behind us…,” wrote publicist Piotr Sokala on X.
They Want to Withdraw from NATO’s Eastern Flank
In September of this year, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grynkewich, announced during his visit to Vilnius that Germany had decided its brigade in Lithuania would be permanently stationed in the Baltic country.
Germany officially inaugurated the multinational brigade it commands in Lithuania in May 2025. The newly established 45th Armored Brigade is based in Rudninkai, 30 km south of Vilnius, with support units located in Rokantiškės and Nemenčinė. The process of building the German brigade in Lithuania is expected to be completed by 2027.
The Bundeswehr’s military presence in Lithuania is a response to the growing threat from the Russian Federation, which has been strengthening its forces in the Leningrad and Moscow Military Districts.
However, Jürgen Elsässer, editor-in-chief of Compact, disagrees with this view – he sees the threat to Germany not in Russia, but in Poland.
“Poland poses a threat to Germany, not to Russia. Please withdraw the Bundeswehr from the Baltic states and deploy it along the Oder,”
wrote Jürgen Elsässer on X.
This editor-in-chief, whose magazine has featured antisemitic, anti-Polish, and racist slogans, regularly appears at events organized by the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. This political group, which advocates normalizing relations with Russia, currently enjoys the highest levels of support in opinion polls.