Lithuanian soldiers fire at a long-range target during the U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) European Best Sniper Team (EBST) Competition at the 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, Nov. 17, 2025. The U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) European Best Sniper Team (EBST) Competition held annually at 7th Army Training Command’s Grafenwoehr Training Area builds military readiness through realistic and challenging training scenarios, fosters military partnership and esprit des corps, and promotes NATO interoperability with Allied and Partner nations. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Adrian Greenwood)

Two Lithuanian soldiers and five civilians are under investigation over an alleged scheme that allowed conscripts in the Šiauliai region to avoid mandatory military service. A soldier responsible for administering draft lists allegedly accepted bribes of up to €600 to ensure that selected men were never summoned; more than 200 conscripts may have escaped service through the scheme.

The investigation began after other soldiers at the regional conscription and recruitment centre noticed suspicious activity and reported it to their superiors. The principal suspect is being investigated for bribery and influence peddling, while a second soldier and five civilians allegedly acted as intermediaries.

“The data contained in the investigation materials give rise to suspicions that a soldier of the Military Conscription and Recruitment Center, who was responsible for administering the conscripts of compulsory initial military service, may have taken bribes so that men who were included in the conscript lists would not be invited to perform compulsory initial military service and thus avoid it.”

Draft evasion is as old as the draft itself. The only bulletproof solution is voluntary recruitment to the armed forces. Read the entire piece in nra.lv.