As Russia continues to flex its muscles in the east, Juozas Olekas, Lithuania’s defence minister, is having a busy time.
Less than a year ago, he was urging Lithuanians to “sleep tight” and not panic. Since then, Lithuania has reinforced its reputation as one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in the EU – and one of the harshest critics of Russia, which Lithuania’s president, Dalia Grybauskaite, recently called a “terrorist state”.
As Lithuania’s emphasis on security and defence has increased, Olekas has found himself reintroducing military conscription, which he himself scrapped in 2008 during his first stint as defence minister.
Olekas was born near …read more
Source: European Voice
