Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces visited Lithuania

The Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Janne Jaakkola, visited Lithuania from 30 to 31 July 2026. During the visit, he became familiarized with the development of Lithuania's defence capability, and border surveillance and control.

The visit was hosted by the Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras. General Jaakkola was shown around a training area in Eastern Lithuania and given a presentation on the Lithuanian Armed Forces' new drone unit, the Autonomous Long-Range UAV Operations unit, which has the objective of strengthening the country's capability for long-range effects.

Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces familiarized himself with Lithuania's new drone unit. Photo: Lithuanian Armed Forces.

The Commander also visited the Lithuanian-Belarusian border. At the Padvarionys Border Guard Station, the visit was hosted by the Commander of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, General Rustamas Liubajevas. General Jaakkola was briefed on border control systems, the European security situation and measures to prepare for threats of full-spectrum influence. At the Šumskas border crossing point, the Chief of Defence was familiarized with countermobility equipment.

General Jaakkola and the delegation also participated in a commemoration ceremony at the Medininkai Memorial. The ceremony commemorated the victims killed at the border post shortly after Lithuania had regained its independence.