Stunned by the Speed of Wagner’s March, Russia’s Neighbors Seek to Boost Military Preparedness

East European leaders are alarmed by the speed with which Russian Wagner forces were able to advance from Ukraine toward Moscow during their short-lived mutiny over the weekend. These leaders now wish to beef up their nations’ military defenses in preparation for a possible invasion of Russian forces.

Speaking at a June 27 news conference alongside his counterparts from Estonia and Latvia, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said:

Apart from showing the reality of the political instability in Russia, [Wagner forces] showed also an additional factor of how fast detachments within Russia can mobilize and move within its territory. Our countries’ borders, all three of ours, are just hundreds of kilometers away from the activity, meaning it would take them eight to 10 hours to suddenly appear somewhere in Belarus, somewhere close to Lithuania, somewhere close to the Estonian border … and that gives you an idea how we [see] this situation.

Therefore, our request has always been, we need to take the defense and also the deterrence of the Baltic region very seriously.

In a follow-up interview with Quest cnn on June 28, Landsbergis said:

We’ve seen how fast a few brigades of mercenaries could move from Ukraine almost to 200 kilometers from Moscow itself. So it can give you an idea of how fast they could move if they were willing to through Russia, through Belarus, closer to nato borders. … What we see even with the latest events is a very clear reminder of what it means to live in the neighborhood of Russia. … If Putin was not stopped in Kyiv [Ukraine], then … we have all believed very clearly that Putin will march on, and who knows where he will stop.

The Trumpet said: In 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry discussed the effect such moves would have on Europe and placed it in the context of Bible prophecy:

We have been prophesying for around 70 years that Eastern Europe would become a vital part of a new European superpower—a resurrection of the Holy Roman Empire. This prophecy is directly related to the Crimean crisis! The fear you see in Europe because of events in Crimea is going to cause 10 leaders in Europe to unite in a sudden and dramatic way—and in precise accordance with the Bible’s description of that European empire! … Europe’s new fear of Russia is going to play a major role in hastening the fulfillment of that prophecy!

The people of Europe watched Russia’s annexation of Crimea with fear. Today, as they observe Russia’s full-scale war on Ukraine, including the rapidity of the Wagner advance, that fear is intensifying. And it is prompting them to take steps to bolster their military power and to unify Europe, politically and militarily. This was on display this week when Lithuania’s leadership eagerly welcomed Germany’s offer to permanently station 4,000 troops in Lithuania’s borders.

Mr. Flurry’s article is built on prophecies recorded in Ezekiel 38, Daniel 2 and 8, and the book of Revelation, showing that these developments are leading to a time of destruction that “will cause more suffering than the world has ever known!” But he said this ultimately points to “the best news you could ever hear!”

Learn more: Read “The Crimean Crisis Is Reshaping Europe!”