A Lithuanian-led international arms control inspection team is conducting a visit to the 79th Guards Separate Motor Rifle Brigade in Kaliningrad Oblast of the Russian Federation on February 12-13. Arms control inspectors from Lithuania, France, and the United States will carry out an evaluation visit to a military unit in accordance with the Vienna Document 2011.
During the verification visit arms control inspectors of Lithuania, France, and the U.S. will be able to familiarise with the unit’s organisation structure, number of serving personnel, and numbers, types, and examples of the main weaponry and equipment systems.
It is the second evaluation visit to Russia conducted by Lithuanian inspectors this year. The first one took place in mid-January as part of an Estonian-led inspection team.
According to regulations of the Vienna Document 2011, the arms control experts will report to the members of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Russia’s compliance with provisions of the Vienna Document 2011 witnessed during the inspection.
The Vienna Document 2011 commits the signatory countries to conduct annual information exchange on their manpower, planned capability development and defence budgets on an annual basis, and to notify other Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) countries in advance of scheduled military activities of significant scope. The states also commit to accept a designated number of inspections and evaluation visits by other member states’ military inspectors in military units in their territories to verify there are no undeclared military capabilities or large-scale military activities requiring prior notification.
Every OSCE member state has the right on the basis of the Vienna Document 2011 to verify if any other member has no undeclared military capabilities or has not undertaken large-scale military activities requiring prior notification.
