On Wednesday, the Cabinet of Ministers recognized as invalid the resolution adopted in November 2024, which provided for the transfer by trust of a 30.61 ha plot in the village of Ąžuolai, Balbieriškis eldership, to the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union (LŠS).
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The decision was changed after it became clear that this plot is included in the list of reserved investment state land plots and is needed by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation to implement an investment project – the Ukrainian Dnipro Electromechanical Plant (DEMZ) plans to build an ammunition assembly workshop there.
Instead, a 51.97 ha state land plot in the village of Druckūnai, Varėna district, is planned to be transferred to the Riflemen’s Union, which is currently managed by the National Land Service by trust and used by the Alytus Vocational Training Center.
The area would be used to train drone operators, develop drone capabilities and counter-drone systems. It would also be possible to set up a long-range shooting range up to 800 meters and establish the LŠS Training and Non-Kinetic Operations Center’s drone competence center there.
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Since the current designation of the plot is agricultural, it is planned to initiate an amendment or adjustment to the Varėna district general plan.
The Varėna district municipality had no comments on the project but noted that the plot is less than a kilometer from the village of Ežeriekai, so the possible impact on the quality of life of the surrounding residents must be assessed when changing the general plan.
As BNS wrote, the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union is a voluntary militarized civic organization whose goal is to strengthen the state’s defense capabilities and foster citizenship.
Currently, the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union unites nearly 20,000 members.
