Surveys on Europeans' readiness to take up arms are causing concern among the military. According to a Gallup survey of 45 countries last year, four of the five countries least prepared to fight were European. In Spain, Germany and especially in Italy (where only 14% of respondents are ready to defend the country), there is almost no patriotic fervor left.

_{Even in Poland, which neighbors Ukraine and Kaliningrad, less than half of citizens are ready to fight.}

A separate survey conducted before the war in Ukraine began showed that 23% of Lithuanian men would rather emigrate than take up arms in the event of war.

"The reaction of most Europeans is not an oath to defend the homeland, but a collective shrug. A rejection of heroism and a cult of self-realization.