This article is about Lithuania taking steps to ready it's defensive posture against Russian invasion.

You seem to be implying that this is unnecessary because there is a zero chance of Russia invading Lithuania.

You say the zero chance stems from Russia looking at NATO's response.

This is Lithuania both readying that response, and advertising it.

If Lithuania treated it like a zero chance, it wouldn't be a zero chance.

They are treating it like a likelihood, and therefore, the chance decreases.

As the article correctly points out, Lithuania is Russia's gateway to Kaliningrad. That provides political cover (however vellus) for Russia to try something.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, and especially since 2004, Russian media has been running a constant narrative about how two faced the Baltic states are - how Russia saved them from Hitler, rebuilt them after WWII, poured in tons of wealth that could've been used in the Russian Soviet Republic, only to have them say "thank you" by turning their backs on them.

There has been an intensive propaganda campaign,spanning decades, against the Baltic states. Even Russians who might question a "special operation" in Ukraine would "understand" the necessity for escalation in the Baltics.

Also, Putin tends to be stronger when Russia is losing, because he plays off Russian fears of the the outside world to position himself as Russia's savior. Contrary to popular belief, he is a rational actor, and every defeat Russia experiences on the battlefield is a personal victory for his hold on power. Of course there's a limit to that, but no one knows exactly where that limit is, and that makes this whole situation incredibly dangerous, and we need to take all potential threats very seriously.