An Assessment

Lithuania's President considers Putin.

"Moscow is stationing 'thousands of troops, including mechanized and naval infantry brigades, military aircraft, modern long-range air defense units and hundreds of armored vehicles in the territory.'"

Kaliningrad.

"If I wanted, in two days I could have Russian troops not only in Kiev, but also in Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn, Warsaw and Bucharest[.]"

Said Putin.

"Sanctions invite Putin agression."

Says Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaitė.

"[W]e are closest neighbors, so we know our neighbor very well."

Politicians should avoid photo ops on tanks.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė took a ride on a tank today during NATO exercises. The tank was part of a "demonstration that involved approximately 2,000 Soldiers from Denmark, Poland, Lithuania and the U.S. in a dynamic display that demonstrated allies working together in a cohesive operating environment."

What's the story here?*  Grybauskaitė erroneously called the "Leopard" tank a "Tiger."

*No, she does not "look, in the tank, wearing the helmet, like Rocky the Flying Squirrel."

It's election day in Lithuania.

Did you notice?

"Grybauskaite can afford sticking with a small campaign with hardly any posters or TV ads. As the current president, she has the stage whenever she wants. Critics used to accuse her of not mingling with the population enough. So, in the past year, she spent more time with everyday people. During the traditional Uzgavenes carnival in February, she toured the sausage and pancakes booths and posed with dressed-up partiers and teenagers."

More photos here.

"Latvia Casts Wary Eye on Russia"

"A chief concern of the government—which is facing parliamentary elections in October—is the rise of what some officials call 'provocateurs,' people in the country believed to be spreading antigovernment sentiment on behalf of the Kremlin."

(See also here.)

Maneuvers

"Russian army holds exercises on Polish and Lithuanian borders."

Russia isn't happy about the Baltic States' NATO membership.

This is not a surprise.