After beginning to obstruct the supply line to the Russian province of Kaliningrad, Lithuania has stationed a battalion of M1A2 Abrams tanks close to its border.
Vilnius has sent at least 15 US M1A2 Abrams tanks and an undetermined number of M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to the Russian border as part of a direct confrontation between Lithuania and Russia.
A video that was shared on social media shows the time that at least 15 US M1A2 Abrams tanks and four M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles were being transported by rail to the border with Kaliningrad province.
Previously, starting June 18, Vilnius has prohibited the transit of goods listed by the European Union (EU) as being prohibited to the province of Kaliningrad, including: building supplies, metals, timber, cement, fertiliser, alcohol, fish eggs, and other goods. About half of all trade with the region is comprised of this category as a whole.
The Lithuanian government is adamant about adhering to EU sanctions and will not compromise on this point with Moscow. The Russian side, though, opposed vehemently.
Lithuania has added more products to its list of goods it no longer ships to Kaliningrad, a Russian foreign enclave. The items identified on July 11 include concrete, wood, alcohol, and industrial chemicals containing alcohol, according to a representative for Lithuanian customs.
On July 11, the Kaliningrad provincial customs office reported that over 300 trucks were waiting to leave this remote province at the Russian-Lithuanian border, along with another 200 trucks that were waiting to be imported.
As on July 11, border gate agents at Chernyshevskoe handled 200 trucks entering Vilnius and 298 trucks entering the province of Kaliningrad over the previous 24 hours. 200 trucks are anticipated to enter Russia, and 310 cars are anticipated to leave.
On the same day, Kaliningrad Governor Anton Alikhanov suggested that cargo travel between the Russian Federation and the three Baltic States be completely prohibited. In response to the Lithuanian government’s decision to “blockade” Russian territory, the aforementioned plan is considered as a retaliation.
In exchange, we propose to outright prohibit the movement of commodities between the three Baltic states and Russia (including those in transit from other nations),” Alikhanov stated.
Currently, the US, Iraq, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and shortly Taiwan all use M1A2 Abrams tanks (China). The AGT-1500 gas turbine engine on the M1A2 Abrams tank allows it to accelerate from 0 to 32 km/h in under 7 seconds and reach a top speed of around 70 km/h despite its extremely hefty weight.
The 120mm M256 smoothbore gun on the M1A2 Abrams is capable of firing M829 armor-piercing rounds and M830 high explosive anti-tank shells. The vehicle is also equipped with three machine guns: a Browning M250 (12.7mm) for the commander, an M240 (7.62mm) coaxial with the main weapon, and an M240 (7.62mm) for the second gunner. Unknown Whether the US will decide to preserve this feature for export M1A2 Abrams tanks in the near future or not is uncertain in light of the excessive number of vehicles that were destroyed on the battlefield due to the removal of depleted uranium armour.
