Eastern European countries are having difficulty replenishing their armies and are therefore not prepared for a possible military conflict with Russia, the agency reports. Reuters.
According to the agency, Hungary, Poland, Romania, as well as Slovakia and the Czech Republic are also experiencing problems recruiting military personnel.
Prague, for example, has not met its recruitment targets for several years and has struggled to maintain its troops. Reuters reports that the Czechs met their military recruitment plan by only 56% in 2021 and 85% in 2022.
“We cannot do anything without people: If we modernize equipment, we will not have enough competent and motivated people,” said Karel Rehka, Chief of Staff of the Czech Armed Forces.
In response, the Romanian government has begun active recruitment for military service. This decision was taken after the latest data from the Ministry of Defense showed a shortage of 43 percent of officers and 23 percent of registered personnel.
Before that reportedPoland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have called for the construction of a defensive perimeter along the EU’s border with Russia and Belarus, in an effort to protect the alliance from both alleged military threats and “other harmful actions” by Moscow.
Previously reportedThe Baltic countries are developing NATO infrastructure close to Russia’s borders.