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Lithuania Reintroduces Compulsory Military Service to Counter Russian 'Threat'

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite Kapeksas / Wikicommons

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has signed a law reinstating compulsory military service, according to a statement published on the president's website Tuesday.

It also provides for the establishment of a mixed military model, based on both professional soldiers and conscripts.

The country plans to draft between 3,500 to 4,000 men every year, according to the statement. The amendment comes into force on Sept.1.

Lithuania abolished compulsory military service in 2008. However, the country decided in March last year to temporarily restore mandatory military service for five years in order to counter a perceived threat from Russia.

The move was triggered by Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine and its military presence in the Donbass.

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